Hoenn, The Land Of Abundance
by IcyAngels452
Summary: A Professor's son. A Gym Leader's daughter. A shy child from Petalburg. Watch as these three young Trainers go through triumphs and perils in the beautiful region of Hoenn. Based on Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.
1. Thought You'd Be a Guy

Chapter One: Thought You'd Be a Guy…

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here. Guess what? I'M NOT DEAD! SHOCKING, RIGHT?! So as you can see, this is a brand new story. And I have two reasons for that.**

**First off, I'm stopping Seven Worlds, at least for a while. I've lost total inspiration for that story, and, well, most Sonic stuff in general. I might do something with the series again in the future, but for now, I want to take a break and focus on another video game series I've been passionate about. Which brings me to my next point of interest…**

**Today, April 26****th****, 2015, I've been playing Pokemon for nine years. NINE. When you're only a freshman in high school, that's a long ass time to be doing something. So to celebrate, I'm going to write an adaptation of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, as you can see. Hoenn has definitely grown on me since I got that game, more specifically because of one single character. But I'll get back to that later. For now, enjoy this new story :P**

Hoenn. It's a place of beauty, growth, and life. A place full of various environments, ranging from volcanoes and mountains to rivers and oceans. A place where Trainers can show off their Pokemon in hundreds of ways: Gym Battles, Contests, you name it. It was a region of opportunity. Or that's what May hoped, at least.

"Ow," she whispered to herself, a heaving box bumping her elbow. She was _really_ wishing that her parents had found a moving truck with a better seating arrangement. May looked at the boxes surrounding her, filled with everything they had from Johto. It was hard to believe that only a few weeks ago her mom had said they were moving to be closer to her father. She had been happy to go; she had been an outcast at the Trainer schools in Johto anyway. While other kids took part in typical drama, she seemed to be the only one excited to learn about Pokemon.

"Maybe I'll finally be able to go on a journey," she said aloud, wringing her hands together. Her mom said they were going to be neighbors with the Professor of the region, after all. She could probably get a Pokemon and start travelling, or at the very least learn more about them. "Just thinking of all of the different Pokemon makes me—"

_Thump!_

May let out a little yelp as the truck abruptly stopped, throwing her to its wooden floor. "You'd think Mom would've found _something _to substitute for seatbelts," she mumbled, rubbing her head. She shielded her eyes as the back doors of the truck swung open, the morning sun peeking through.

"Sorry about that, honey!" a voice said from outside. Her mom helped the driver open up the back doors of the truck, stepping out of the way to let the Machoke begin bringing boxes inside the house. "I hope the ride wasn't too awful…"

May shook her head, not wanting to worry her mom. "I'm fine." She jumped out of the truck, taking in the surrounding scenery. The town was small; it only had a few buildings and people outside. The grass was a luscious green, complemented by the bright blue sky where a flock of bird Pokemon May had never seen before flew overhead. "Whoa…"

"Welcome to Littleroot," her mother said with a smile. "I know it's nothing like Olivine, but it still seems really nice…"

"It's beautiful, Mom," May said. She took in a breath of fresh air. Different from the smell of the ocean near Olivine, but good all the same. "Do you want me to help with the boxes?"

Her mother shook her head. "Let's go inside and check out the house, huh? You're getting your own room this time!" May followed her mother into the house. The first floor didn't have much; it was your typical kitchen and living room. Still bigger than there house in Olivine, however. "Your room is upstairs. There's a brand new clock your dad bought you. Why don't you go set it?"

"Got it," May replied. She ran up the stairs to be greeted with a large room of her own: A full-sized bed instead of twin, a wooden desk in the corner of the room, a flat screen TV with a Wii U and Gamepad, and even her huge Lapras doll she had received when she was little. She grabbed the pink clock on the wall and set it to the right time. A gift from her father. She hadn't seen him in such a long time…

"May, come down here quick!"

May rushed down the stairs, almost tripping over the last step. "What's wrong Mom?"

"Your father's on TV!"

She ran in front of the television. When was the last time she had actually seen her father? It must've been at least five years ago. In fact, her memory wasn't totally clear on his appearance. The most she could remember was his dark hair.

"_And that concludes our broadcast from the Petalburg Gym. Join us for 'The Name Rater' after these special messages."_

Her mom sighed. "Just barely missed it, hun. It was just a regular interview about battling though. Your father lives for Pokemon, after all…speaking of which, do you remember Professor Birch?"

"You mean the guy that came to visit in Johto when I was little?" she asked. "Didn't he get chased across the city by Amphy?"

"Hehe…yeah, him…" she replied with a nervous laugh. "Well…he has a son. I think you should go meet him."

May rolled her eyes. "Mom, is this one of those attempts to get me to make friends?"

"No," she replied casually. May didn't buy it for a second. That was one of the things her Mom had always been concerned with: her inability to make more than a few friends. "I just thought it might be good if you knew someone in town. Might get lonely."

She sighed. "Okay Mom, I'll go if you really want me to."

"Great!" her Mom said enthusiastically. "They live right next door. The professor's out doing fieldwork, but his mom should recognize you. Now go!"

"All right, all right, I'm going!" May said, putting her hands up in self-defense. She smiled. "You don't have to be worried about me, Mom. I don't get lonely easily."

"I know, I know. You love Pokemon, just like your father…but it doesn't hurt to have human friends too. Now go meet him! The Machoke have almost taken everything inside, anyway."

"Kay. I'll see you later, then, I guess." May stepped outside and closed the door behind her, feeling a warm breeze across her face. She kicked a small pebble as she walked down the road to Birches house, taking her time. Her mom was always trying to help: sometimes a little too much. She had been convinced that May wasn't making friends because of the absence of her father. It had never really bothered May, however. If there was truly one person in the world who needed the Gym Leader around, it was her mom. "At least their only a few towns away from each other now…oof!" She looked up, rubbing her head. The door of the Birches house was standing right before her. She raised her hand to knock, but changed her mind and walked right in. Who knocks anymore?

"May!" a voice said from the kitchen. A woman with brown hair emerged from the kitchen, her white apron covered in small spots of sauce. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby! I'm Brendan's mom. Can I get you anything? Soda Pop? Fresh Water? How about some MooMoo Milk?"

"Um…no thank you," May said, taken back by her hospitality. "Actually, my mom wanted me to see your son…" Realizing how strange in sounded, May tried to cover it up. "Not like that, she was just thinking that it would be good if I had a friend—"

Brendan's mother laughed, wiping her hands off with a towel. "I know what you mean, sweetie. Your mom and I did go to the Trainers' School together, after all. Brendan's upstairs. He should be getting ready to help his dad out with some field work, but I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

_Wish I could say the same_, May thought to herself. "Okay, thank you!" she said politely, then walked up the stairs and into the first bedroom she saw.

"Pokemon fully restored…Items all packed, and…" the boy turned around. "Hey! Who are you?"

If it May hadn't already realized how strange the situation was, she probably would've slapped her forehead right then and there. Being in some boy's room when he had no clue who she was or why she was standing in front of him. Her mom had some weird ideas. "Uh, my name is May," she replied, wringing her hands behind her back. "I just moved into town—"

"Oh yeah, you're Norman's kid!" he exclaimed. He adjusted his hat, which covered almost all of his dark hair. "I'm Brendan. Y'know, when my parents said your dad was a Gym Leader, I thought you'd be a guy…"

May raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he replied, picking up his green backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. "I guess I just wasn't expecting such a great Trainer's kid to be in a bow and tank top, you know?"

May flustered. "Well at least my hat doesn't—"

Brendan laughed. "Hey, don't sweat it. I'm just teasin' you. Hey…speaking of Gym Leaders and stuff…do you have a Pokemon yet?"

Her face reddened even further. "Well…no…"

"I can help you catch one!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "If you want me to, at least. I have my own Pokemon and everythi—shoot!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be helping my dad catch Pokemon out on Route 103!" he began running down the stairs, but quickly turned back to face her when he reached the last step. "Maybe some other time, huh? Later, May!"

May stood still for a second, then looked into the mirror after he had left. "My bow looks just fine," she mumbled to herself, then headed downstairs.

"How did it go?" Brendan's mom asked as soon as she reached the first floor.

"Uh…good," she replied, leaving out their little banter. "I should probably be getting home and settled in," she said, gradually moving toward the doorway. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye dear!"

May ran out of the house, closing the door behind her. "Phew…glad to be out of that…" She laid down in the grass on the side of the road, watching the fluffy clouds past the sky. Having a Pokemon and going on a journey had always been something she'd hope for. Exploring the world, finding her calling, meeting all kinds of new people. On one hand, it'd be great for her. On the other…

"Mom would be crushed," she said aloud, running her fingers through the surrounding grass. When her father had moved away, her mom had done her best to raise May alone. Had tried to hide the fact that she missed the husband she loved so dearly, but May had always known the truth. What would her mom say if she left too?

She sat up. "I guess the time will come when I decide to get a Pokemon," she said to herself.

"H-help me!" a voice yelled from a few yards away.

May turned her head in the direction of Route 101. She stood up and ran as fast as she could, skidding to a halt in front of a leather bag. "This must be—"

"Hello! You over there! Please! Help! In my Bag! There's a Poke Ball!"

**Chapter One is finished! Yay! Okay, now I have more things to say. Like I said in the beginning, Hoenn has grown on me because of one specific character. To show which one I'm talking about, later today I'm also going to be uploading a Character Analysis video to my YouTube channel (link is on my bio thing) later today. It'll probably go up tonight, so make sure you check it out. I put a ton of work in to it, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Another thing: I'm planning to upload a chapter of this story once a week so I don't burn myself out. I might miss a couple weeks here and there, but hopefully I won't quit half way through. Between this, YouTube, and school, I'm going to have a lot of things on my plate.**

**Anyway, QOTD: If you could live in any region in the Pokemon world, where would it be and WHY?! Is it because of the climate? The people? The cities? Make sure you tell me in the reviews! Personally, I think I would live in Kanto. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is there. That's where I started playing Pokemon. Anyway, make sure to REVIEW, and I'll see y'all later!**


	2. Leaving Home?

Chapter Two: Leaving Home?

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here for chapter two! Yay! I honestly didn't expect so many people to review since I've been gone for so long, but you guys came back for more! So I guess I'll start replying to reviews.**

**Pokerox27: Nope, I'm not dead, and I'm glad you like my writing! Thanks for sticking around :D**

**UpbeatButNegative: First off, thanks for the long review! I love those. Anyway, yeah, I was over at the Sonic section a while back, but I guess it's time for something new. My first game was actually Blue version, but hey, it's still Kanto! And the same game, practically. And yes, I will be asking for team member suggestions for May. I've only written one chapter ahead, so there's always room for ideas!**

**TheHoennTrainer: I agree with you on Team Aqua and Team Magma. Good intentions, just bad execution. I know a YouTuber who has two posters in her room of Maxie and Archie. They say "Team Magma: For the Good of Everyone." and "Team Aqua: For the Good of Pokemon." Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**Crepo the Porcupine: I'm glad you like the new story X) True, Kalos is pretty awesome. ALL THE CLOTHES! If you play as a girl, you can get a really nice coat in Lumiose City in the store that you aren't allowed in unless you're stylish enough. It costs 500,000 Poke. I bought it XD Thanks for the review!**

**Firespirit2000: I really like Unova too. I know it better than the back of my hand, and the Route numbers even better than Kanto, actually. The theme park is pretty sick too, but I wouldn't want to go when that weird Hiker dude is on the Ferris wheel XD Thanks for the review!**

**Stormblade3: Thanks for the review :D Haha, it seems like a lot of people get attached to their first Pokemon game and its region. The first time you play a Pokemon game is an experience that can't be repeated.**

**TheArtSmartQueen: I KNOW, EVERYONE THOUGHT I WAS DEAD! Thanks for the review :D**

**Matthew Garner: Thank you for reading all of my stories, it means a lot :) Hopefully I'll be able to continue Seven Worlds in the future, but for now, Pokemon is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for the review!**

**Again, thank you all for the reviews, it means a lot. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

"Professor Birch?!" May exclaimed.

"Yes, May, it's me!" he replied, backing away from the Poochyena. He soon found himself along the edge of the forest, his dark hair and lab coat getting caught in the branches of trees. "Could you please help me?!"

"Oh, right—" May said to herself, coming to her senses. The bag contained three Poke Balls right next to her. "Which one do I use?!" she asked quickly.

"Any of them!" Birch shouted, backing further into the trees.

"All right…" her gaze fell upon the ball the furthest to the left. Something about it was beckoning her. She grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could. "Go!"

The ball burst open and flew back into her hands with a surprising amount of force. In front of the professor stood a green, lizard like creature. Its arms were crossed, a fierce look in its eye.

"Treecko, very good choice," the Professor said, trying to scramble up a tree. "Its moves are Pound, Leer, and Absorb! NOW PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Okay, okay!" she exclaimed. "Treecko, use Pound!"

Treecko sprang in to the air, its green tail glowing with light before crashing down on the Poochyena's head. It fought back, tackling the lizard-like creature into a tree.

"We can keep going, Treecko!" May yelled. "Alternate between Pound and Absorb, and don't stop until we win!"

It nodded, jumping into the air again, its tail a sparkling green. After a few strikes, the Poochyena was down and out, leaving Treecko with a satisfied look on its face.

"We won…" May whispered, putting a hand to her chest. She had chills running down her spine, her heart racing incredibly fast. Battling had stirred up something inside of her that she wasn't sure even existed.

Birch laughed, climbing down from the tree. "You really are your father's daughter."

May looked up at him as Treecko jumped on to her shoulder. "Seriously?"

"Definitely," he replied, picking his bag up off of the ground. "When your father and I went to school together, he was always thrilled about battling. He just had this look in his eye that said he lived for Pokemon…" He shook his head. "Look at me, getting all caught up in the past. This isn't really the place to talk though…why don't you come by my lab later?"

"Uh, sure!" May replied.

"Great!" Birch exclaimed. "I'll be seeing you later, May!" He walked down the road toward Littleroot, leaving her and Treecko alone.

"Everyone keeps saying I'm just like Dad," she whispered. "I'm not really sure what that says about me."

Treecko groaned impatiently, not having any interest in May's soul searching. It wanted to battle again, just to feel the rush of defeating an opponent. To its surprise, May answered out loud as if reading its thoughts.

"I'm sure Birch'll give you plenty of chances to battle later, Treecko," she replied, starting the trip back to the lab. As much as she would've loved a Pokemon herself, she doubted the Professor would let her keep this one. A few minutes later they were standing in front of the Professor's Lab. They walked in to see Birch trying to catch a Poochyena running to and fro across the room.

"Get back into your Poke Ball, Poochyena!" he exclaimed, almost tripping over a stack of papers. After a few more seconds of trying he gave up, throwing the ball at the creature and putting it back in its proper place. "Why does my son always catch the most unruly—oh, hello May!"

"Um, hi Professor…" she said, clutching Treecko to her chest. Birch's assistant was now chasing a Wurmple across the room. "I can come back at a later time, if you'd like—"

"No, no, it's fine," he grumbled, picking up a stack of overturned papers on the ground. "This is actually one of the quieter days—hurry up and catch that Wurmple, Harold!" he yelled at his assistant. He stepped over another stack of papers and approached May. "So, like I was saying, you've definitely got your father's blood in your veins. And for saving me, I want to thank you with something—"

"You really don't have to," May replied with a nervous grin. She was becoming increasingly aware of Harold knocking over everything in the lab. "It seems like you've got enough on your plate anyway. I'll just return Treecko to you n—"

"Let me finish!" Birch exclaimed. "I want you to take that Treecko as a gift."

Harold knocked over an expensive looking machine behind her. "Really?" she asked. Treecko looked up with hopeful eyes. "A-Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" Birch said. Harold took a faceplant into the floor behind him. "That Treecko definitely seems to have taken a liking to you. I'm sure it'll enjoy battling at your side!"

May stared at Treecko, speechless. "Well…thank you, Professor…I'll make sure to take good care of it!"

"I'm sure you will," Birch laughed. "Are you going to give it a nickname?"

"Good question," May replied. She looked at the Treecko who had climbed back on her shoulder. "I don't want to give it something like Blade, everyone does that…what about…Ventus?"

"Sounds great!" Birch exclaimed, writing something down on the clipboard. Treecko yawned and shrugged, but thankful that it didn't get something stupid like 'Geico'. "Now May, there's something I've been meaning to ask you—"

She looked up. "What is it, Professor?"

He seemed to ponder it for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. We can talk about it later. Since you're a Trainer now though, why don't you go out on Route 103 up past Oldale Town?"

"Sure," she replied. "Do you need me to run an errand?"

Birch laughed. "Surprisingly, no. I won't be making you pick up any parcels or retrieving eggs. My son Brendan's up there looking for Pokemon. It might be a good idea to go up there and see him, don't you think?"

May returned her attention back to Harold, thinking of the awkward encounter with Brendan. Even though his teasing had all been light-hearted, his cocky grin and stupid hat triggered something very competitive inside of her. It was probably best not to let that feeling of rivalry blossom too much. "Uh, I don't know, Professor…"

"Oh, don't be like that," Birch said with a wave of the hand. "You should go see my kid. He can teach you all about being a Trainer!"

Well, _that_ last sentence did the trick.

"Fine," May said, biting her lip. She took in a deep breath. "I'll go see your son. Route 103, right?"

"That's right!" he said cheerfully.

"All right then," she said, holding head high. "I'll go see _your son_ for _advice_." She opened the door and walked out, almost slamming it behind her.

Birch laughed a few seconds after she had left. "See Harold? _That's_ how you use reverse psychology."

…

"That Birch," May muttered under her breath. "'My son can teach you all about being a Trainer,'" she mocked. "I'll teach Brendan a thing or two…" Ventus rolled its eyes as it followed her through the tall grass, keeping an eye out for any wild Pokemon up for battle. It did manage to take on a few Poochyena along the way, but May had been so wrapped up in her mumbling that she never noticed. That being said, she was surprised to see it tuckered out by the time they reached Oldale.

"What's wrong?" May asked. "I mean, Route 101 wasn't that long…"

Ventus, hunched over and panting, mustered up the strength to jump in the air and land a Pound her right on the head.

"Ow!" she shouted, rubbing the area with her hand. "Okay, I'm sorry! I should've paid more attention. Let's just go to the Pokemon Center, okay?"

Ventus rolled its eyes, but jumped on her shoulder regardless as she walked in to the Pokemon Center. The inside was alive with light: a TV was on overhead as people sitting at tables watched, the lights on the ceiling shined brightly on people reading maps and magazines, all while a giant screen behind a pink haired woman displayed different Pokemon. "Um, hi, I'd like to—"

The nurse gasped. "I know who you are! You're Norman's daughter, aren't you?"

Almost every head in the building turned to look at May, her face turning red. "Oh, gosh…"

"I've got you covered, sweetheart," the nurse whispered, then spoke up to the people surrounding them. "False alarm!" she declared. "Norman's family hasn't come through yet!" The other people at the center shrugged before going back to their business. "Sorry to put you out there like that," she said, returning to her normal voice. "In small towns like Oldale and Littleroot, it's kind of a big deal."

"Uh, no problem," May replied with a nervous laugh.

"Now," the nurse cleared her throat. "I'm Nurse Joy and welcome to the Pokemon Center. We can heal your Pokemon to perfect health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?"

"Sure," May replied, returning Ventus to its Poke Ball. "Here you go."

"All right, I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds then," she said. She placed the ball on a special machine as the screen behind her lit up, displaying an image of Ventus. After a few seconds it faded away, allowing her to return the Poke Ball. "Thank you for waiting. Your Pokemon have been restored to full health. We hope to see you again!"

"Again?" May repeated.

The nurse waved her hand. "Protocol, don't worry about it. We don't actually want that Treecko of yours getting hurt." Ventus broke out of its Poke Ball, hopping back up on May's shoulder. "So, what's brings you out here?" she asked, leaning over her counter. "Going to visit Norman?"

"Actually, I'm going out to Route 103," May replied. "I have to go meet a uh…friend, up there."

"Is it Birch's son?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

The nurse shrugged. "Just a theory. I mean, he's only been through here about five times today. He keeps saying there's some super rare Pokemon he wants to find out on Route 102, but there's some idiot saying he's found the footprints of a rare Pokemon. I kept trying to tell that guy that it's his own footprints, but he won't listen…"

May laughed. "Well, I don't think I'll have to worry about going out there today…I guess I'll see you later, Nurse Joy! Bye!" Waving, May stepped back outside and letting the Center's doors close behind her. She sighed, looking up at the sky. Being constantly referred to as "Norman's Daughter". She hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing. Ventus groaned of course, not interested in the least. "Hey," she said sternly. "I'm allowed to have my moments, aren't I? Let's get going."

And so they did. After a few wild Pokemon battles (with May actually paying attention) Ventus seemed to be getting stronger, its skills sharpening more and more. May grinned. "You're really getting better at—huh?"

"Okay…so it's this one and that one that live on Route 103…" a white, floppy hat popped out of the grass, its owner holding a Poke Ball. "Hey, it's May!"

"Hey, it's you," May said, much less enthusiastically. Brendan didn't seem to hear her, however.

"It looks like Dad gave you a Pokemon," he said, walking up to Ventus and patted it on the head. "So, since we're here, how about a little battle? I'll teach you what being a Trainer's about!"

So _that's _what the professor meant.

"You teach _me_?" she scoffed.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. May groaned. He was teasing her again. "I mean, I've been a Trainer for a lot longer than you have. I'm pretty sure I know more about this kind of stuff than you do."

"I don't need to be taught anything," she snapped, her hot temper and pride for being independent causing her face to fluster. "I saved your dad from a Poochyena this morning!"

"Pssh, he gets chased by those things all the time," he said, waving a hand. "No biggy. I've done it hundreds of times before!"

May squeezed Ventus' Poke Ball as hard as she could, her hand trembling. She couldn't think of anything to spit back at him. "Battle me," she growled. They were the only words that would come out.

He laughed, spinning his Poke Ball on his finger. "All righty, then. Just promise you won't get too salty! Or more than you already are, anyway."

"You—"

"Go, Sora!" Brendan yelled, chucking the ball. A small, orange chick Pokemon popped out, its tiny arms sticking closely to its body. "It's a Torchic," he explained, latching his fingers together behind his head. He looked down at his Pokemon. "We need to show this May girl what we've got!"

"Let's fight, Ventus," May said, trying her best to stay level-headed. She needed to battle with fiery passion, not anger. "Start out with Pound!"

"Ember, Sora!"

Ventus jumped in the air, its tail glowing with light before it came crashing down on the Torchic's head, just as it had done to the Poochyena chasing the Professor. Sora recovered quickly, sending a burst of flames toward its opponent, scoring major damage.

"Ventus!" May yelled.

"Fire is super effective on Grass," Brendan said casually. "Don't you know that?"

"Of course I do," she snapped. "Everyone knows that!" She didn't know how to get out of her predicament, however. Another couple of hits would take Ventus out. _We'll just have to keep going, I guess._ "Ventus, Pound again!"

"Ember again!"

Sora ran closer to Ventus, another fireball welling up inside of it. It blasted it at close range before Ventus could dodge. Ventus retaliated quickly, Pounding again, doing double damage than last time.

"It's a crit!" May cheered. "Good job, Ventus!"

Brendan shrugged. "Eh, lucky you. But you know what that means, right?"

"…what?" May asked cautiously.

"Sora and your Treecko have about the same amount of health," he explained. "So whoever wins the speed tie wins this match. So…" He threw his arm out toward Sora, his head held high. "Sora, use Ember one last time!"

"Pound it Ventus!" May yelled at the top of her lungs. She felt the same thrill of battling running through her again, a surge of energy powering through her. Ventus and Sora were about to collide when—

_Splash!_

The next thing May knew she was soaked from head to toe in water, sitting in a pond a few feet away from where she had previously standing. In her place stood a horde of Zigzagoon that had knocked her down, now scurrying back into the grass. The two Pokemon stood still, dumbfounded.

What'd Brendan do? Oh, he laughed.

"What's so funny?" May snapped, attempting to stand up. She slipped on the rocks underneath her and fell back down, making Brendan laugh even harder.

"Nothing, nothing," Brendan gasped, bent over with laughter. He tried to offer her a hand, but couldn't look at her without bursting out again. "Do you…do you want help?"

"No," May said, successfully climbing out of the pond this time. She wrung out her hair and used her bow to send water flying in his face. "I can handle this myself. Let's just get back to the battle."

"I can't, I'm sorry," Brendan wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I can't concentrate like this…let's…let's just go back to the lab…maybe Dad will have a blow dryer big enough for the bow of yours…" he returned Sora to its Poke Ball and started laughing again, making his way south back to Littleroot Town.

"He is so infuriating!" May growled, fixing her bow. "We would've won that battle too…" She looked down at her clothes, completely and utterly soaked. "Let's just get back to the lab…"

…

"Uh, are you all right, son?"

Brendan was now in the lab, trying to explain to Birch what had happened to May. He was still bent over laughing, attempting to get his words out. "And then…and then this random horde of Zigzagoon came over and knocked her right in to the pond out by Route 103! Dad, it was hilarious, she got—"

"Absolutely soaked," May said, stepping in to the room, still dripping wet. Ventus sat on her shoulder, trying to keep as dry as possible.

"See?" Brendan laughed. "I told you!"

Birch sighed. "Brendan, why don't you go out on Route 102 and catch some Pokemon? There's still one more that you haven't found—"

"I know, I know," the boy replied, his laughs slowly fading. "But a four percent encounter rate isn't much to work with…"

"You'll find it eventually," the Professor replied, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now get out there. I need to talk to May over here."

"All right," Brendan replied, picking up his bag and walking toward the door. "Later, May," he snickered. "I'd say watch out for ponds, but…I don't think you can get much wetter!" He ran out the door before May could say anything.

Birch shook his head. "That Brendan…sorry for all the trouble. He's generally a good kid, but occasionally he gets a little too cocky for his own good."

_Understatement of the year,_ May thought. She could see what Birch was saying, however. He _had_ offered to help her catch a Pokemon when they first met, _and_ had offered to help her out of that pond even if he couldn't stop laughing. "Yeah…um, what'd you want to talk to me about?"

He took in a deep breath, then let it out. "May, there's a big world out there…full of different types of people and Pokemon. Lots of things to see."

She nodded silently.

"So, as the leading Professor of the Hoenn region and a childhood friend of your father, I want to ask you this question…have you ever thought of going on a journey?"

May had known this question was coming ever since she accepted Ventus as her first Pokemon. She just wasn't expecting it so _soon_. It was the same dilemma she had been pondering before the whole Poochyena incident occurred. She had been dreaming of becoming a Trainer since she was a little girl. On the other hand, she was the only person her mother had. Leaving home would break her heart. "I-I don't know…"

"Well, I'll let you sleep on it," Birch said, walking over to his desk. "But in the mean time I'll give you these." He picked up two small handheld devices on his desk and placed them in her hands. "This first one is a PokeDex. It's a high-tech tool that automatically makes a record of any Pokemon you meet or catch. Brendan goes everywhere with his. Whenever he catches a rare Pokemon, he looks for me while I'm out doing fieldwork and shows me." He laughed. "It's giving me the itch to go out and do fieldwork again!"

"Thanks, Professor," May said, looking down at the device in her hands. The red metal shined under the lab lights, showing that it was brand spanking new. She looked at the other device in her hand, a yellow Gameboy-like device. "What's this one?"

"Oh, that? That's a PokeNav Plus," he replied. "All it's got on it right now is the AreaNav though, so it's pretty basic. You can probably get updates for it later. Anyway, I've gotta go out and do some fieldwork before it gets too dark outside. You tell me first thing tomorrow if you're going to go on a journey, all right, May?"

"Got it, Professor," May replied as he headed toward the door. "Thanks again!"

"No problem," he laughed before closing the door and leaving the lab.

…

Ventus munched on an Oran Berry, still sitting on May's shoulder as she sat in the grass facing the setting sun. When the Professor had asked her about going on a journey, she had completely forgotten that she was soaked to the bone. "What are we going to do, Ventus? Can we really leave Mom to go on a journey?" She looked toward Route 101, yearning to pass through the gates of Littleroot once again and see the rest of Hoenn. "I don't know," she said, running a hand through her still damp hair.

"May?"

May looked up. Her mother was approaching her, her face shadowed by her sombrero. She must've been gardening.

"Hey, Mom," she replied uneasily.

"Sweetie, why are you all wet?"

"Uh—"

Her mother gasped, reaching out and gently picked Ventus up off of her shoulders. "Is…is this your Pokemon?" She placed the wood gecko back down on the grass. "It's very cute. You look good with Pokemon, just like your father…"

"Thanks," she replied. Again, was being like her father really that good of a thing? "Can…can we go inside?"

"Hm? Oh, of course," she replied, taking off her sombrero. "I can get you a towel and make some dinner."

…

May poked at her spaghetti with her fork, unable to eat. A giant knot was sitting in her stomach; she still hadn't asked her mother. She looked at the sleeping Treecko on the table. If only she could be that relaxed all the time.

"You haven't even touched your food, honey," her mom said while washing the dishes. "What's wrong?"

May sighed, putting her fork down. "Mom…I need to tell you something."

"You're not lonely, are you?" she asked quickly. "Don't worry honey, I'm sure you'll make friends—"

"It's not that, Mom," she interrupted. "Trust me." Taking a deep breath, she reached into her bag and pulled out her PokeDex and PokeNav. "Mom…Professor Birch gave me these today. And I…I want to go on a journey."

Her mother took a step back, then recovered and placed the towel she had been holding down on the counter. She sat down in the chair opposite of her daughter. "I knew you were growing up May, but I didn't think you'd be leaving so soon—"

"I don't have to leave if you don't want me to," she said quickly. "I mean, if Dad's not here _you're_ the one that's going to be lon—"

Her mother suddenly stood up, going upstairs. She came down a few minutes later with a box in her hands. "This was supposed to be your birthday present, but I think you should have it now."

May gave her a confused look, but opened it anyway. A pair of brand new yellow and orange sneakers sat in front of her. "Running shoes?" she asked, taking them out of the box.

"You always need a good pair for traveling."

**Chapter Two's done! Yay! Lots of stuff happening this chapter. May getting her first Pokemon, the battle with Brendan, etc. Speaking of Brendan, he's kind of a hard character to classify. He doesn't really have any defining personality trait (like Barry being hyper or Silver being rude) so I kind of used my own interpretation of him. Friendly and light-hearted, but a bit cocky. He also kind of a know-it-all, but not in an intentional way. He occasionally mentions how you're a Hoenn noob ("You may not know this because you just moved here, but Mr. Briney was once blah, blah blah, blah…") but he's not doing it to belittle you, he's trying to help. That'll come in to play with May's character later.**

**As long as we're on the subject of rival's, QOTW: Who's your favorite rival and WHY? Is it their personality? They're Pokemon? Personally, mine has got to be either Blue or Wally. It really just depends on what day it is. I like Wally because he goes through real character development (but I did a whole video on that last week, no need to repeat myself). I also like Blue because…well…he's Blue. Cocky and always one step ahead of you, but you can't hate him. Yet it's **_**so**_** satisfying to take that Champion title away from him. It's a strange mix of emotions. Yeah, he's kind of a douche, but he's not a bad person. He doesn't torture his Pokemon and he **_**did**_** work just as hard as you (if not harder, he actually tried to complete the PokeDex). And by GSC, you can see he's matured as a person in three years. Yes, he's still cocky, but his comments about what happened to Cinnabar Island shows that he's thinking about other people more and not just himself. There's no rival quite like him.**

**Anyway, be sure to answer the QOTW in the reviews and I'll see you guys later!**


	3. And So It Begins

Chapter Three: And So It Begins

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here with chapter three! Yay! Sorry for no upload last week, I've had a lot of things going on. It's getting toward the end of the year and projects are getting piled on. Anyway, let's get to the reviews!**

**Pokerox27: I wish titles of chapters could be that long XD Thanks for the review!**

**Alphinia: Hey, I saw your comment on my YouTube video! Thanks for checking it out. Anyway, I can see what you mean about the Pokemon genders. But the thing is, I'm really used to hearing them referred to as "it" since they do it in both the anime and the games. And don't worry, I'll do my best to expand more on some of the plot. Thanks for the review!**

**FlameUser64: Agreed, I really like Shauna from XY. Like you said, at first I thought she was another ditzy female character (which she still kind of is) until you watch the fireworks with her at the Parfum Palace and see a quieter side of her that just wants to be friends. Kind of a shame that we didn't really see what she wanted to do with life, though. She even points out on the bridge that everyone has dreams and she's just kinda "goofing off". Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**TheHoennTrainer: I did like the kind of shipping thing they did in ORAS with Brendan and May. One of the things that really touched me was at the end where Brendan asks you to walk home with him, but then gets all defensive and says "Don't read in to it though!" and the whole date thing at the Space Center was cute. The entire time I was thinking "SCOOT CLOSER GODDAMMIT!" And then there's Wally. The perfect cinnamon roll. So yeah, thanks for the reading!**

**Falconadventurer: I got your PM. FanFiction has an issue with punctuation XD Thanks for the review!**

**Crepo the Porcupine: I agree, Wally is awesome. Thanks for the review!**

**DeviouslyNormal: How are you CERTAIN that I'm going to do that? To be honest, I wasn't planning on it. It's redundant, like you said. And how would you know if I like Sableye or not if I've never even mentioned it? You've assumed many things. Either way, thanks for the review.**

**TheArtSmartQueen: OH MY GOD! I RESPONDED TO YOUR REVIEW! XD Don't worry, I'll try to avoid dying again. Thanks for reading!**

**UpbeatButNegative: Yeah, Torchic does seem like the typical choice for May, but I thought I'd go for something a little different. I'll definitely work on the battle scenes. Thanks for the review, always appreciated!**

**Matthew Garner: Yeah, Silver was pretty awesome. I'm glad you enjoy my stories, and I'm looking forward to your reviews! Thanks!**

**OmniDragon10: Wally is awesome :D Thanks for the review!**

**Aligura: Haha, I was waiting for someone to pick up on it! Thanks for the review!**

**Now with all of that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

May had hardly slept that night, and was still wide awake at seven in the morning. She looked out of the window in her room at the cloudless sky, the sun shining over Littleroot. "Today's the day, Ventus!" she exclaimed. Her Pokemon yawned, opened one eye, then went back to sleep on her bed. May changed in to her usual attire: red tank top, white shorts, belt bag thingy, and her brand new running shoes. To top it off was her usual red and white bow. "Lookin' good," she said, scanning herself over in the mirror. "C'mon Ventus!" She placed the groggy Pokemon on her shoulders, then ran down the stairs.

"Morning, Mom," she said, grabbing a box of cereal and the milk carton out of the fridge.

"Morning, sweetie," she replied. "Sleep well?"

"As well as I possibly could," she said, scarfing down her cereal. She placed the bowl in the sink when finished. "I'm really excited, Mom. I probably should get go—"

"May, wait!"

The young Trainer turned around to face her mother. The fresh, Littleroot town air was just outside the door, along with the rest of the world. "What is it?"

"Just…don't push yourself too hard," she said. "You can always come home, honey."

May ran into her mother's arms, hugging her. "I know, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie."

May sighed, letting go. "I guess I really should get going now, though."

Her mother smiled. "Enjoy your journey and be safe!"

"I will!" May called, walking out the door. She closed it behind her, looking up at the sky again. Not a cloud to be seen. "Are you ready for this, Ventus?" The Treecko, now wide awake, nodded. "All right," the Trainer said, taking a deep breath in. "Let's go see the professor."

…

"Have you caught that Wurmple yet, Harold?" Birch asked, going through a stack of papers.

"Uh…" Harold looked at the empty Poke Ball on the table. "Define….caught."

The professor sighed. "You let it escape the lab, didn't you?"

"It couldn't have gone far, sir!" Harold insisted. "It's probably out there on Route 101. It wouldn't listen to me…"

"Morning, Professor!"

Birch turned to the door, May standing a few feet away with a huge smile. "May! So, I'm assuming you've made a decision about going on a journey?"

She nodded. "Ventus and I are ready to go!"

"Great!" he replied. He picked up a small case on a table and handed it to her. "There are five Poke Balls in here," he explained. "You can use them to catch more."

"I'll do that," she replied, taking the box.

"And I'll register your Trainer ID later today," he elaborated. "Either way, I think you're ready to hit the road."

"Thanks so much, Professor!" May said happily, heading back toward the door.

"No problem, May," he replied. "Don't forget to work on your PokeDex, either!"

"I won't!" she called, opening the door. Brendan walked in, a box of electronics in his hand. "Morning, Brendan," she said cheerfully, then closed the door behind her.

"Morning…" Brendan said, raising an eyebrow at the closed entrance after she had gone. He placed the box on an empty table. "What's she so happy about?"

"Oh, nothing, really," Birch replied. "She's just going on a journey."

Brendan's eyes widened. "You sent someone who's lived in Hoenn for a DAY on a journey alone?! She's gonna get lost before she gets to Rustboro! She'll—"

"Son."

"What if she can't find her way through—"

"Brendan."

"And then there's the—"

"BRENDAN!"

Brendan turned and looked at his father. "What?"

"She's not going alone."

The boy raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The Professor walked over to his son and placed a large, firm hand on his shoulder. "I think it's time you left Littleroot too, son."

"M-Me?!" he stuttered in awe.

"There are plenty of Pokemon across the region, Brendan," Birch replied. "And May will need a guide to keep her on the right track. Plus, I think a journey will help you and Sora grow a lot more as Pokemon and Trainer."

"But…who will help you out at the lab?"

The Professor laughed. "I've got Harold here. Everything will be fine. You can't say that you've never wondered what it's like to go on a journey, can you?"

Truth be told, it had only crossed Brendan's mind once or twice. He had never imagined himself traveling too far from home. Now that he was thinking about it however, it seemed to be not so bad of an idea. "What about May, though? I don't think she really wants to trav—"

"You'll figure it out," his father replied. "They say opposites attract, after all!"

"What is that supposed to—"

"Now go on, go on," he said, ushering him toward the door. "A wide world awaits you out there, son! Go see it!"

After overcoming the initial shock, Brendan nodded. "I will, Dad. Thanks for everything."

Birch laughed. "It's what I do, son. Learn a lot."

He nodded, opening the door and stepping out into the world. He walked down the road toward Route 101, letting his Torchic out of its Poke Ball right before leaving the town. "I guess we're going on a journey, Sora."

…

"Quick Attack, Ventus!"

The tiny Treecko, moving around faster than the blink of an eye, struck the wild Zigzagoon with enough force to knock it out. After an hour or so of training of Route 101, Ventus was leveling up quite nicely.

"Good job, buddy," May said, patting her Pokemon on the head. She took an Oran Berry out of her bag and placed next to the fainted Zigzagoon. "Now let's see…"

"Hey, May."

She turned around to see Brendan sitting on a fence along the edge of the route, holding his PokeDex in his hand. "Hi," she replied suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"There's something I have to tell yo—" he suddenly stopped, his head turning toward a nearby patch of grass. Something was moving about.

"What are you—"

"Shh!" he scolded, hopping down from the fence. "Check your DexNav."

"I don't have one," she whispered.

He sighed, walking over to her with his PokeNav. He switched it to a feature that seemed to show all of the Pokemon in the area. "Look at this." There was a silhouette of a caterpillar-like creature on his device. "It's just a Wurmple. But it's pretty high levelled."

May grinned. "Then I'll just have to catch it!"

"But you don't even know how to catch Pokemon!" Brendan exclaimed. "I'll help you."

She shook her head. "I can do this myself, thank you very much. All right, Ventus, start off with Quick Attack!"

The Treecko sped toward the rustling grass, slamming in to the Wurmple. It fired back with a String Shot, getting sticky webs all over it. Before May could yell another command, its tail began glowing purple, then sent Ventus flying into a nearby tree.

"That was Poison Sting," Brendan said aloud. "It's super effective against Grass types like Ventus!" He turned to May. "You might want to wrap up this battle quickly."

"Ventus, Quick Attack one more time!"

With a shot of energy, Ventus burst from the base of the tree in to the Wurmple again, knocking it to the ground. It quickly countered, biting on to Ventus' tail and not letting go.

"Bug Bite," Brendan whispered. "That's the last move Wurmple gets by level up! You need to catch it now, May!"

"I know, I know!" May said quickly. She took a Poke Ball out of her bag, barely bigger than a marble, and repeatedly pressed the button. "It won't get bigger so I can catch it!"

"Let me see," he replied, rushing over to her side. He pressed the button down harder, inflating it to the size of a softball. Placing the Poke Ball back in her hand, he stood close behind her, guiding her arm. "You're going to have to throw it at an arch so the ball will have time to detect the Pokemon."

"I can do this," she said.

"But let me help you just this once."

After a few seconds, May nodded. "We'll throw on the count of three. One, two, three!" They both released the ball, hitting Wurmple square on the head. Its body vaporized in to a red light, going in to the ball. It fell to the ground, shaking. One. Two. Three.

Click.

"I did it," May whispered, placing a hand to her chest. "I did it!" she exclaimed. "I caught a Pokemon!" she grabbed the ball, raising it high in the air, then stooped down and allowed Ventus to climb on her shoulder. "We caught a Wurmple, Ventus!"

Brendan cleared his throat and smirked. "With my help."

May rolled her eyes. "Just this once…but either way, thank you."

He grinned. "No problem. So what are you going to name it?"

May looked down at the ball in her hands. "I'm thinking…Blue."

"It's a girl."

"Pink, then."

Brendan rolled his eyes, climbing back up on the fence. "Real creative. Anyway, like I was saying, there's something I wanted to tell you."

May hopped up next to him after feeding Ventus an Oran Berry. "What's up?"

"We're travelling together."

"What?" she asked, getting down from the fence. "What do you mean?"

Brendan shrugged. "Dad said it was time for me to leave Littleroot and that I should go with you. He said you'd need a guide to get around Hoenn without getting lost."

"Well you can tell Birch that I don't need a guide and you can go back home," she replied, crossing her arms. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself and I don't _need_ anyone else. I've already got two Pokemon—"

"Because of me—"

"—and if I get lost I can look at the AreaNav, not you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to Petalburg City to see my dad."

"All right then, May," he said, getting back on the ground. "Tell me then, which way is Petalburg City?"

She pulled out her PokeNav Plus, which Brendan quickly snatched out of her hands. "Hey!"

"You've gotta be ready for anything," he said, hiding it behind him. "That includes losing your PokeNav. Now tell me, which way is Petalburg?"

May looked around. The only actual path was the one that led to Oldale. Even if she went that way, she wouldn't know where to go next. She groaned. "What are the odds of losing my PokeNav, anyway?"

"Considering the fact that you couldn't make a Poke Ball bigger on your own, very likely," he replied, pushing a special chip in to her device. "Here. I updated it so you can use the DexNav too."

"Thanks," she mumbled, placing it back in her bag. "Okay, so maybe I don't know how to get there. So? I can just ask someone in Oldale and they'll tell me."

"But what if you're in a situation where no one _will_ tell you? Like if there's no one out and about to ask? Then what?"

"Then I'll call the Professor."

"What if he's out doing fieldwork and doesn't pick up the phone?"

"Then I'll pick a direction and start walking," she finished. "Now it doesn't really matter to me what you do, but as for myself, I need to get going. Goodbye, Brendan."

Brendan began walking with her anyway, causing her to roll her eyes. "Why are you so against travelling with someone, anyway?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head. "Other Trainers do it all the time."

"I'm not against travelling with someone, I just don't like getting help from people," she replied, walking ahead. Brendan was keeping up, however. "I like doing things by myself."

"You're never by yourself, May," he replied. "Your Pokemon are always there for you."

She suddenly stopped, causing him to do the same. "Listen, I just don't like being with other people," she explained, facing him. "I've always loved Pokemon, but I've never been good with making other friends. In Johto I had one, maybe two, friends that I talked to once in a while. In fact the only reason why I showed up at your house in the first place is because my mom wanted me to hang out with you. People just aren't my thing."

"Well…going somewhere far away from home isn't really my thing," he replied. "Maybe we can do what's not our thing together."

May sighed. This guy wasn't going to give up, was he? "Fine. If we really have to. But that doesn't mean we can stop being rivals!"

Brendan grinned. "It's a deal," he said, holding out his pinky. May hesitated, then nodded and latched on to it with her own. "Now, do you want me to tell you how to get to Petalburg?"

"Hey, at least let me try to find out for myself," she said, letting go of his hand. She pulled out her AreaNav. "We go north to Oldale Town, then take Route 102 and go west." She put it back in her bag. "See? I know what I'm doing."

"For now," Brendan said casually. "The southern part of Hoenn's routes aren't too complex. Just you wait."

"I'm _dying_ of anticipation," May said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. In truth though, she was dying to get moving. Petalburg wasn't too far away, after all. "Let's get going!" She sprinted down the path, leaving Brendan in the dust.

"May, wait for me!"

…

"Unbelievable…" Brendan muttered.

He and May stood along the line that separated Route 102 and Oldale Town. The route had been blocked off by a man who had found the footprints of a "rare Pokemon".

"So sorry, so sorry," the man said, stumbling over his own two feet, trying to collect his belongings. "I should've realized that they were my own footprints…"

"Um, it's okay," May said awkwardly.

"Nurse Joy and I tried to tell you," Brendan exclaimed. "I even showed you my PokeDex, dude! There are no Pokemon around here that have a size 8 shoe print. I could've been looking for Pokemon here yesterday!"

"Well I said I was sor—" the man suddenly stopped, spotting another set of footprints on the ground. "I've done it this time! I must've found a new Pokemon!"

May raised an eyebrow. "But those are Nur—"

"Yup, you definitely have," Brendan said, covering up May's mouth. "Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be going now." He grabbed May's arm, getting out of sight and earshot of the man. "It's about time he left," Brendan said, sitting down on a nearby log. "Three days of not being able to look for Pokemon out here because of that guy…"

"Was dragging me away _really_ necessary?" May asked, rubbing her arm.

He grinned, adjusting his hat. "Yup. So are you ready to keep—"

"Hey!"

May turned around, only to have her face inches away from another girl. She had brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie matching her bracelet. Her white shirt was covered up by a denim jacket, which also hid a Poke Ball on her belt. She pulled it out, holding it at arm's length. "You a Trainer?" she asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"My name's Lass Tiana," she said, her tone dripping in arrogance. "I'm aiming to be the best Pokemon Trainer. Help me further my career!"

"Wait, what are you—"

"Go, Zigzagoon!"

Brendan smirked at May's confusion. "You made eye contact, now you battle her. Unless you need my help and need me to take her on for you…"

"Of course I don't!" May snapped. "If it's a battle she wants, it's a battle she'll get! Pride's on the line, Ventus!" With a swing of her arm, she sent her Poke Ball high in the air, her Treecko jumping out and landing on the grass.

"Ugh, a Treecko," she groaned. "It's got to be the worst starter out of the three. It's ugly as crap. But, I suppose it fits a Trainer like you."

Brendan, still watching on the sidelines, swallowed.

May's felt her face flush as red as her bow, an extreme anger burning in her chest. "Who asked for your damn opinion?! And who are you to talk?! You can't call another Trainer's Pokemon ugly when you're walking around with a Hoenn Rattata!"

Tiana scoffed. "'Hoenn Rattata?' So I'm assuming you came from either Johto or Kanto. Both of them suck. Kanto only has like ten towns, while Johto can't even afford its own League. I doubt there are any decent Trainers from there. None of them could stand a chance here in Hoenn!"

May clenched Ventus' Poke Ball. It vaguely crossed her mind that it would probably have noticeable indents in it by the time she even got half of her badges, but it wasn't important at the moment. "If you're so confident, let's battle already!"

"Fine," the Lass said, dismissing her with a wave of the hand. "You can have the first move. No need for me to try too hard."

May shook her head, then yelled her command. "All right Ventus, let's start out with Absorb!"

Ventus sprinted toward the opposing Pokemon, its tail once again glowing with light. It swung back and forth at in swift motions, which were avoided with swift dodges from the Zigzagoon, darting back and forth in random, non-linear patterns.

"Don't think you can hit us that easily," Tiana exclaimed. "Zigzagoon, go for Tackle!"

Before Ventus could swing at it again, the Zigzagoon was extremely close, knocking it into the dirt. The Treecko jumped up in the air to avoid another hit, rapidly scaling a nearby tree.

May grinned. "Can't touch us while we're up in a tree!"

The Lass rolled her eyes. "Zigzagoon, use Tail Whip to knock it out over there!"

The raccoon Pokemon nodded, turning its back to the mighty plant, slamming its tail repeatedly against the bark. May grimaced as Ventus clung to the tree, the only thing keeping it from falling were the special suction cups on its feet. "Using the environment to change the use of a move…" she whispered to herself. "We can do that to. Ventus, use Quick Attack to get to the top of the tree!"

Finally regaining its balance, the Treecko quickly scaled the tree within the blink of an eye, getting high enough so that it couldn't feel the effects of the Tail Whip. "Now jump down and use Pound!"

"Dodge it, Zigzagoon!"

Zigzagoon hopped out of the way at the last second, getting away without a scratch. A cloud of dust formed as Ventus' tail struck the ground. When it finally faded away, it was no longer moving.

"Ventus fainted?!" Brendan exclaimed, quickly rising up off of the log. He turned to its Trainer. "May…"

"Ventus, come back," she said quietly. She raised the Poke Ball, her hand shaking slightly as it evaporated into red light and went inside.

Tiana laughed and turned away. "What a complete loser. But, if it helps me become stronger, I guess I'll take it—"

"Pride's on the line, Pink!"

The Lass turned around to see May throw a second Poke Ball, a Wurmple popping out. She smirked. "So you need to use two Pokemon to take us out, huh? How embarrassing. But, I guess if you think you can stand a chance…"

"May!" Brendan exclaimed. "You've never even used your Wurmple before! How do you know—"

"There's a first time for everything," she replied, clutching Pink's Poke Ball. There was a determined look on her face, her gray eyes filled with a quiet rage like the sky before a storm. "The first time I battled with Ventus was against you, and it ended in a tie." She looked back at the battle. Zigzagoon had dodged every attack, yet she still had faith. "That won't happen here though."

"Blah, blah, monologue, you're hopeless, blah, blah," the Lass said with the wave of a hand. "Let's just get this done with. Zigzagoon, use Tackle."

"Use String Shot to grab something and dodge!" May yelled fiercely.

What Pink did was a completely different story. Instead, it charged toward its opponent at full speed, meeting the Tackle head on. Being smaller, the Wurmple was sent flying back, then got up to attack again.

"So the first one knocked itself out, and the second one doesn't listen to its Trainer," Tiana observed. "You must be a _great_."

"Pink!" May scolded. "You have to listen to me!" The Wurmple turned its head in defiance, then lunged at the Zigzagoon, biting down on its tail.

"Shake the stupid bug off with Tail Whip!" Tiana shouted. With a few wags, Pink was flung in to the tree at an alarming rate, getting caught up in the branches above.

May bit her lip, attempting to hide her frustration. Why wasn't it listening to her? "Pink, use—"

Before she could shout her command, it used String Shot to swing itself down from the tree, its tail glowing with purple energy. It slammed itself down on the Zigzagoon, poisoning it.

"Wow, your Wurmple's better at battling than you are!" Tiana laughed. "But the battle's already over. Zigzagoon, finish it off with Headbutt!"

"Get out of the way, Pink!" May screamed.

The raccoon Pokemon lowered its head, then charged at the Wurmple as fast as possible. It slammed the Bug-type in to the log Brendan had previously been sitting on, causing it to roll a few feet away. It barked happily after the attack had finished.

Wurmple had fainted.

Tiana laughed. "Zigzagoon, return." The Pokemon returned to its Poke Ball before she placed it back on to her belt. "Piece of cake! You should really get your Pokemon to listen to you or you'll never become a decent Trainer. Now pay up," she finished, holding out her hand.

May sighed, returning Pink to its Poke Ball. She reached in to her pocket, pulling out 64 Poke. "Here," she said, shoving it in her hand. "Take it."

The Lass smirked, taking a portable folding bike out of her backpack. "Later, weakling." She hopped on her bike and took off, spraying dirt all over May's running shoes in the process.

Groaning, May laid down in the grass, staring up at the sky. The first uninterrupted battle she had ever had, and she got completely creamed. Any damage that Pink had scored wasn't even because of her own command. Speaking of which, she was already dealing with Pokemon that were disobeying her…

Brendan bit the inside of his cheek and sat down next to her. What was he supposed to say in a situation like this? "It's just one battle," he said after a few seconds of pondering. "I can…" he stopped himself. May wouldn't want help with training. This was something she'd want to do on her own. "I wonder why Pink didn't listen to you," he said after another few seconds.

"Maybe I'm just not a decent Trainer," she said, looking at Ventus' Poke Ball. Her arm fell to her side. "It's not even a traded Pokemon. It should listen to me."

"Well, Dad told me a few days ago he and Harold were having trouble with a Wurmple," Brendan replied sympathetically. "I didn't see it when I left the lab this morning. Maybe it's the same one?"

"Brendan, if it's the same one, how could I have caught it?" she countered. "It wouldn't have gone inside the Poke Ball if it already had a Trainer."

He bit his lip, trying to think. "Maybe it ran away. Pokemon can do that."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if it wanted to run away again." She sat up, looking down at her dirty sneakers. That Lass had really made a fool out of her. Why didn't she just stop when Ventus was defeated? What good would it have done her, even if she did win with Pink? She still would've needed two Pokemon to defeat that one Zigzagoon. And being defeated by a single Pokemon just made it more humiliating.

But she knew why she didn't quit. Because that wasn't her. Her heart had told her to keep going, so in turn she kept going. Now she just needed to use that ability to win.

"I'm sorry you lost," Brendan said, staring up at the sky as well.

"No."

"What?"

May stood up, stretching toward the sky. "I don't want pity or sympathy or anything like that. I want to get stronger."

Brendan stood up as well. "What do you mean?"

She looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball. "If I'm going to get stronger, I need to figure it out for myself and train a lot harder. Sitting around and getting upset over something isn't going to help. And you," she pointed at Brendan. "You're my rival. It's your job to make sure I never forget that. Kay?"

Brendan grinned. "Got it. Now the first thing I'm gonna do as your rival is race you to Petalburg City." He flicked her bow, smirking. "Try to avoid letting your face get as red as this thing when I beat you, all right?" He then sped down the Route, leaving her in the dust.

"Hey!" May exclaimed. "I won't let you beat me, Brendan Birch!" She chased after him, feeling the wind blow against her face. A group of Beautifly flew through the air, twirling through the sky. She smiled. They all had to work hard to spread their wings and fly. And if they could, she would too.

**And that's the end of chapter three! Yay! Lots of things going on in this chapter: Brendan and May traveling together, May catching a new Pokemon, and a battle with Lass Tiana! I kind of used this chapter to practice writing battles, but I hope it was enjoyable for you guys! Which brings me to QOTW: Since nothing is truly set in stone yet, do you guys think I should do more with Lass Tiana in the future, or leave it as is? I've noticed that there's a serious lack of strong female rivals in the Pokemon series. Most of them are either weak or exactly the same as their male counterparts. Tell me what you guys think in the reviews! See you next week!**


	4. Petalburg City!

Chapter Four: Petalburg City!

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here with chapter four! Yay! Again, I'm so, so, so, sorry for not posting for more than a month. School ended a couple of weeks ago and I got caught up with finals and things like that. Then when summer finally started, I found out that Phineas and Ferb was ending (breaking my heart and killing a part of my childhood). But today I felt the urge to carpe diem after hanging out with some friends, so I decided I'd finally update this story! Again, sorry. As for last chapter, many of you wanted me to do more with Tiana, so I guess I'm keeping her as a character! Speaking of which, let's get to the reviews.**

**Pokerox27: Agreed. Princess Tiana is the sassiest. Ain't nobody got time for messin' around. That's not her style XD Thanks for the review!**

**Crepo the Porcupine: I write to impress! Thanks for the review.**

**Falconadventurer: Haha I always saw Birch as an avid shipper. He's like an actual birch tree. They have many layers. Like onions. And ogres. Ogres have layers. Thanks for the review :P**

**UpbeatButNegative: I totally agree with you about the designs, and the Emerald ones are my favorite as well. Brendan's RSE design looks like he'd die of heat stroke if he wore that much clothing in Hoenn. A tropical island is not the place for long sleeves XD And I'm glad you like Harold and the idea of using Tiana. Again, thanks for the long review! I always appreciate it.**

**OmniDragon10: Thanks! Trip was an interesting way for the anime to go. He was kind of an asshole, too. Saying Ash lived in "the boonies" really struck home with me since I live in, well, the boonies. Thanks for the review!**

**TheHoennTrainer: Thanks for the input! You have a good point with the Delta Episode, so maybe I'll try to work with that a little bit more. But since so many people liked the idea of using Tiana, it seems like she's here to stay. I'll take your advice though! Thanks for the review, as always.**

**FlameUser64: I'm sorry you feel that way about May! But remember, in the anime Dawn also couldn't work a Poke Ball at first without Ash's help, but she still came in second when it came to the Grand Festival (and only lost by a sliver). But thanks for the review!**

**DeviouslyNormal: Apology accepted :) I'd also like to apologize myself if I seemed a little harsh when I replied to your review. I'm going to try avoiding creating a stereotypical character, but I won't fail like others. Personally, my love for Gardevoir comes from its Mega form, since it's so powerful. I mean those special stats are through the roof and if you give it Hyper Voice, you'll be destroying everything thanks to Pixilate. And I like Sableye as well. I haven't used it yet, but its Prankster ability and moves seems like it would make a great staller. Thanks for the review!**

**Matthew Garner: Thank you! I'm trying hard to improve my battle scenes and make them more interesting. And thanks for the review!**

**TheArtSmartQueen: OH MA GOD, YOU RESPONDED TO MY RESPONSE TO YOUR REVIEW :P And thank you! Glad to have gotten you into the world of fanfiction. And thanks for the review!**

**XBakaNinGyoX: Damn straight. Johto's too awesome. Thanks for the review!**

**Martyn: Interesting idea. Not sure if I'll use it, but I'll keep it in mind :) Thanks for the review!**

**Damn. That's a lot more reviews than I used to get in the Sonic section. Thanks guys! Now, on with the story.**

Brendan grinned, out of breath, placing a hand against the outside wall of the Pokemon Center. "I made it here first!" he panted. "Take that, May!"

May arrived a few seconds later, placing her hands on her knees. "You got a head start," she panted. "I would've beat you if you didn't."

"_If_ is the keyword," he replied. "I still won."

May rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get our Pokemon healed." They both headed inside. After their teams had been restored, the duo sat down at a nearby table.

"I bought us ice cream," Brendan said. He handed one cone to her, then began eating his own. "So we go see your dad next, right?"

She felt her stomach flip a bit, but nodded. "Yeah." Ever since she and Brendan had gotten past the footprint guy outside of Oldale, the thought hadn't crossed her mind once. Now she was extremely nervous. Someone she hadn't seen in five years and she could barely remember. Ugh, what was he like again? She couldn't remember him being mean or rude, but he was never exactly close to her. He was gone all of the time helping out with the Olivine City Gym. It was understandable; Jasmine was about her age at the time and was having trouble balancing duties between the Lighthouse and training an entirely new type of Pokemon at the Gym. What would she have to do to prove herself?

"Hey, are you gonna finish that?" Brendan asked, finishing off the last of his waffle cone.

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Um, no. You can have the rest. You paid for it anyway."

Brendan took the cone, finishing it off in two bites. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," she replied honestly. "What do you say to a parent you haven't heard from in five years?"

He shrugged. "Wouldn't know. I'm sure he's fine. He is a Gym Leader, after all."

"That doesn't mean anything, Brendan," she said. She took out Ventus' Poke Ball and stared at it, the red and white surfaces glistening under the Center's lights. "A lot of Gym Leaders are people around our age and have no idea what they're doing." Whitney came to mind, but she didn't say it out loud. "And there are some that barely show their faces. Have you ever actually _seen_ the Viridian City Gym Leader's face on TV?"

"…No," Brendan replied. "But your dad is friends with mine, remember? He can't be that bad."

May sighed. "I just don't want to disappoint him."

…

The two walked down the street toward the Gym. The city was a mixture of ocean and forest: evergreen trees along the eastern side of the city, while the scent of salt water and the ocean came from the west. Everything was combined under a big, blue, cloudless sky. "Your dad's Gym should be around here somewhere," Brendan said, looking down at his AreaNav. "It's right…here." The two looked up to see a man in front of a large building, talking to a kid. The memories came rushing back to May: His chiseled jaw, intense black-eyed stare, and raven hair. She looked nothing like him.

"Not bad…it was a good battle," the man said. His voice was deeper than May had remembered.

"Th-thank you, sir!"

"Come back and challenge me any time. I'll be looking forward to seeing you and your Pokemon again when you're a bit stronger."

The boy nodded. "I'll will. I'm going to do some special training! Thanks for the battle Mr. Norman!" He ran past Brendan and May, catching the Gym Leader's attention.

"Hm?" As he walked over to the two, May felt her heart stop in her chest. "Well if it isn't Brendan and May!"

"Hey, Norman!" Brendan replied cheerfully. May on the other hand, was at a loss for words.

He nodded, then turned to his daughter. "So, you've finished moving in?"

"Um…yeah…" May replied nervously. "Just yesterday…"

"I see…" Norman placed a hand to his chin, thinking. "You seem a lot quieter than you were when you were little, May. But I guess we shouldn't stand out in the street talking. We can talk in the Gym."

As the pair followed her father inside, she felt her face flush red in embarrassment and frustration. Why was she so nervous about being around her father? Did she really feel the need to impress him and live up to his name as a Gym Leader and a Trainer? If only she could show her confidence…

The inside of the Gym reminded May of a dojo: Wooden floors and walls, straw mats, and a woven banner between two locked doors against the wall. Her father had never been one for flashy décor. He turned to the two Trainers. "You know, I'm surprised you two made it this far. I've heard there's been problems along the edge of Route 102 and Oldale Town."

"We fixed it," Brendan said with a proud grin. "There was a guy blocking up the way. Said he found some rare footprints or something…oh, and May got a Pokemon yesterday!"

Norman nodded toward his daughter. "Well, let's see it then!"

"All right," she said, fumbling to get a Poke Ball off her belt. "Ventus!" she yelled, throwing the ball in the air. The Treecko appeared with a flash of light, its arms crossed with its usual collected expression on its face.

"So you chose Treecko," he said thoughtfully, kneeling down to pat it on the head. "Interesting…it's a good place to start. Have you caught any other Pokemon, May?"

Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "Well…I have, but…"

"I-I've caught most of the Pokemon in the area, Norman," Brendan butted in. May let out a sigh of relief as he showed off his PokeDex. He had saved her the embarrassment of showing how unruly Pink was. "I'm still looking for this one though…"

Norman nodded, then looked at the both of them. "So you're both going to become Trainers. It'll be a good experience for you. But—"

"Um…E-excuse me…"

The three of them turned toward the entrance of the Gym. A young boy, maybe a year or two younger than Brendan and May, stood in the door frame. May instantly noticed how tiny he was, maybe a full head shorter than her. His hair was a dull, olive green, strands of it covering the sides of his pale face. His nervous eyes matched the too-big jacket he was wearing, a gray-ish blue color, reaching down to the mid-thigh of his gray pants, which needed to be rolled up in order to fit. Even then they still covered his white shoes in part. "I-I'd like to get a Pokemon…please…"

"I see…" Norman said to himself. "You must be Wally. Your parents live right next door, correct?"

Wally nodded timidly. "But I won't be soon. I'm moving to Verdanturf tomorrow and wanted to bring a Pokemon along so I wouldn't be lonely. I'm not really sure how to catch one though…"

Norman nodded, then turned to the other two Trainers. May felt her blood run cold as his gaze fell upon her. "You two heard that, right?"

"Yes, sir!" Brendan exclaimed with a salute. "And you want us to go out and help him catch one, right? I can—"

Norman raised a hand, causing him to stop mid-sentence. "Actually, I want May to do it."

"Me?!"

"Her?!" Brendan exclaimed. "But…but you saw my PokeDex! May's only caught one Pokemon! I'm more experienced—"

"Which is why I'm picking May," Norman replied. "The best way to learn something is by teaching it. Brendan, you can go along and make sure neither of them get hurt."

"I don't need his help!" she suddenly exclaimed, making Wally nearly jump out of his skin. She quickly covered her mouth, then took a deep breath. "I'm perfectly capable of doing things myself…Dad."

A small hint of a smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. "Still independent, I see." He turned back to Wally, two Poke Balls in his hand. "Here. I'll lend you a Pokemon and a Poke Ball." He placed them both in the boy's small hands. "Go give it your best."

"Th-thank you, Mr. Norman!" He turned to May, his hands disappearing into his sleeves, a blush painting his face red. "May, you'll come with me…right?"

If only May had the power to say no to that face. The whole situation was ridiculous. In five minutes Norman had already helped Wally more than he had helped her in a lifetime. And to make it worse, _she_ was being sent to help him catch a Pokemon. Not spending time with a family member she hadn't seen in years, not exploring a new city. Just helping out this random kid.

But she knew the adorable kid didn't mean any harm. He didn't know how to catch a Pokemon, and neither did she until a few hours ago. Yet that couldn't have been the only reason he couldn't do it alone…she sighed, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you so much! Let's go!" He ran back outside, almost tripping on his way out.

"I'll go with you guys," Brendan said. "There's a certain Pokemon I need to find out there anyway."

"Good," Norman said. "Be back when the three of you are finished, okay?"

May rolled her eyes before walking out the door. "Okay."

…

Wally placed his hand against the side of a tree along the edge of Route 102, catching his breath. He had only run twenty or thirty feet and was already tired. He felt his inhaler in his pocket, wrapping his fingers around it. He decided against taking it out. This was the day he would get his first Pokemon. "You're not going to stop me today, asthma," he whispered. Leaning against the tree, he sighed. It had held him back for his entire life, had made people pity him left and right. Not today. Not in front of these Trainers, May and Brendan. He shoved the inhaler further down in to his pocket, ashamed of his condition. How bad did you have to be to need across Hoenn for the sake of breathing? Ocean air was supposed to be good for you, yet he still had to move to an even cleaner environment.

He shook his head. He was getting a Pokemon. This could be a new start, couldn't it? He just wished he wasn't so shy around people…barely going away from home had taken an effect on his social skills. Maybe—

Wally turned his head as two voices came from down the street, arguing.

"I know it lives on this route, May, I just know it!" Brendan exclaimed, clutching his PokeDex. "I'm just having trouble finding it, that's all. Dad and I have been looking for this one for ages…"

May sighed, her thoughts in another realm. "It's just like when I was little," she said, looking up at the sky. "He's so unreadable. I can't tell what he's thinking. I mean, we haven't seen each other in years and he acts like I've always lived right down the street. I don't understand…" Ventus sat on her shoulder, nonchalantly chewing a berry.

Brendan looked up from his Dex. "We aren't on the same page, are we?"

"Not even close," she said absentmindedly. She noticed a fluff of green hair by a tree. "Hey, there's Wally!"

"…hi," Wally said, partly hiding behind the tree. His mentally slapped himself. Is that all he could really say?

"All right, let's do this," Brendan said, hopping himself up on a nearby fence. "Now first you need to—"

May placed a hand over his mouth. "Hey. This is my job."

"I thought you didn't want to—"

"If Dad really wants me to do it…I don't really have a choice. Okay, Wally. Let's do this." She pointed to a nearby patch of grass. "See that? Pokemon—"

"Hide in tall grass like that," Wally finished. "…Right?" Seeing her nod, he took a few steps in to the grass. "Nothing seems to be showing—whoa!"

Even though the Pokemon hadn't attacked him, its sudden appearance had given him a mini heart-attack. It was a tiny white Pokemon standing on two legs, its little arms at its sides. Its eyes were covered by its green bowl-like hair, a red rift going right through it. _"Raaa…"_

Brendan looked up from his PokeDex, for a second, almost falling off of the fence. "Are you serious?!" he exclaimed. "That's it! That's the Pokemon I've been looking for! Dad and I look for a Ralts for ages, and you find it on the first try?!"

"Brendan, shut up!" May scolded. The Ralts, however, had already fled back in to the woods. "Goddammit, Brendan."

"Wait!" Wally exclaimed. He followed it in to the woods, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He could hear the distant calls of the two Trainers, but he ignored them, frantically chasing the little white Pokemon. After a few minutes, he stopped to catch his breath. It had disappeared from sight, along with Brendan and May…

…and the entrance to the forest.

He sat down at the base of a tree. He couldn't have gotten that far, could he? Maybe further than he initially guessed…he was having a harder time breathing than usual, even for him. Reaching in to his pocket for his inhaler, his eyes grew wide. _Where is it? I must've dropped it running all the way out here…I'm such an idiot…_Groaning, he pressed the empty Poke Ball to his forehead. His parents didn't even know he came out here to catch a Pokemon. They would've said no if they knew. But once he had one, he had one, regardless of what they wanted. "Huh?"

The sound of rustling from a nearby bush met his ears. A group of five angry Poochyena appeared, their fur bristling with fury. Then another five. And another. And another. Soon Wally was surrounded by about forty Poochyena, each slowly approaching him little by little. He felt the color drain from his face as a shaky hand reached down for the other Poke Ball he had been given. "I must've invaded their territory," he said nervously. With a tremendous amount of effort, he stood up and threw the Poke Ball. "We can do it, Zigzagoon!" The raccoon-like Pokemon popped out of the ball, ready to battle. "Um…" He froze up, frantically trying to recall moves that it could learn. "Use…Headbutt!"

The Pokemon launched itself at one of the Poochyena, knocking it back into a tree. It only seemed to make the others angrier. Wally attempted to take in a deep breath, black spots flashing before his eyes. He desperately needed his inhaler…

"Wally!"

The young boy turned his head, seeing Brendan and May running toward him. He let out a small sigh of relief. At least they knew where he was.

"Jeez, what did you get yourself into?!" Brendan exclaimed, looking around. He backed up a little as a group of Poochyena approached him, teeth bared. "Uh, I'm not my Dad! Don't think you can chase me around so easily!"

May looked over to Wally, who was still doing his best to command Zigzagoon. She nodded to the Treecko on her shoulder. "We need to help him." She pointed to a group of Poochyena. "Pride's on the line, Ventus!" The Pokemon jumped off her shoulder, standing alongside Norman's Zigzagoon.

"Good idea," Brendan said, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Sora, I believe in you!"

The orange and red chick Pokemon appeared along the others, its beak aflame.

May looked up at a nearby tree. Its branches seemed brittle, as if they could fall apart at any second. "Ventus, use Quick Attack to stomp down all of those loose branches!" she exclaimed.

"Sora, use Ember on all of them as soon as they start falling!" Brendan shouted. Both Pokemon complied with graceful movements, causing flaming wood to fall from the air on to the Poochyena, knocking many of them out. "Uh, May," he interjected, watching a fire begin eating away at a patch of grass. "We could set Petalburg on fire if we keep this up…"

Wally nodded weakly, pressing a hand to his chest. "Zigzagoon, use Tail Whip to put out the flames…"

"That's it, Wally!" May shouted over the sound of growling Poochyena. "We can help out too. Pride's on the line, Pink!" She chucked her Poke Ball, the Wurmple popping out, curled up in a ball and fast asleep. "Pink, I need you to wake up and use String Shot to help put out the fires!"

No response.

"Pink!"

"May!" Brendan exclaimed. "We've still got Poochyena to deal with! Wally's got the fires covered! Just focus on using Ventus right now!"

With a groan, she raised her Poke Ball. "Pink, return." She turned back to her Treecko, sitting in a tree high above the commotion. "Okay Ventus, come down and hit as many Pokemon with Absorb as possible!"

"And keep it up with Ember, Sora!"

Wally staggered a bit, leaning against the tree. His vision was blurring as more and more Poochyena approached him, the scent of burning fur and smoke harder to get oxygen into his lungs. Brendan and May were battling to his left, yet to his right…

There was a small, white figure in the center of a horde of Poochyena, getting closer and closer to it. "Ralts…" he said, his voice an inaudible whisper. One of the Poochyena seemed like it was ready to lunge at it. Without a second thought, he flung himself in to the middle of the circle, putting himself between the Poochyena and the Pokemon. He held it close to his chest as he felt a pair of fangs sink in to his shoulder, causing him to utter a scream of pain.

"Wally!" May exclaimed. She looked back at her father's Zigzagoon, still trying to quell fires and fight at the same time. Wally was a few feet away in the middle of a group of Poochyena, something clutched in his hands. "Ventus!" The Pokemon turned toward her, swatting another Pokemon away with its tail. "Go over there and help Wally out!"

"Sora, you do the same!" Brendan commanded. The Pokemon and their Trainers rushed to his side, fighting. By the time they had defeated five more Poochyena, Wally had already collapsed on the ground, a white object still in his hands. "I think our Pokemon are starting to run out of steam," Brendan continued. "If we don't get them back in their Poke Balls, Wally won't be the only unconscious one…"

"You're right," May replied. She grabbed the Poke Ball off of Wally's belt, then Ventus' on her own. "Zigzagoon, Ventus, come back."

"You too, Sora."

She shook her head, facing the Poochyena. "There's still so many of them." She picked up two flaming branches on the ground, tossing one to her rival. "I guess this is the part where we battle too, huh?"

He caught it, almost burning his hand. "You're insane."

"If that's what it takes to get us out of here, then yes, I'm insane," she replied, swinging the branch at a Poochyena. Her plan was quickly foiled when another ripped the branch from her hand, tossing it away. The same happened to Brendan a few seconds later.

"Well," he said, backing away from one of the vicious Pokemon. "Got any other brilliant ideas?"

"_Raaa…"_

"Ralts!" May exclaimed. "It's—" a flash of white light appeared around them, then disappeared within the blink of an eye. They were back on Route 102 again, right on the edge of the patch of grass. "What happened?" she asked, looking up at the sky. Not even a hint of evidence that there was ever a fight in the woods.

Brendan looked down at the white bundle, still in Wally's unconscious arms. It appeared to be asleep as well, the red horn on its head still glowing. "Ralts is a Psychic-type Pokemon," he said. "It must've Teleported us out of there. But it's strange…they usually don't know that move until later on…"

Wally groaned, slowly gaining consciousness. The bright blue sky was above him, without a trace of smoke. It had never felt so good to breathe. He was unable to speak as Brendan and May stared down at him, waiting for him to say something. Instead, he looked down at the white Pokemon in his arms. It was asleep, but breathing. That was relief enough for him. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"You almost died," Brendan said bluntly, receiving a slap on the arm from May. "What? It's true. We all could've."

He reached down in to his pocket. The inhaler was still gone. "Hey…let's not let anyone find out about this, okay?"

"Deal," May said immediately. Her father had sent her out to help a kid catch a Pokemon and they almost all died. Only she could've screwed up that badly.

"_Raaa…"_

The three looked down as the Pokemon in Wally's arms woke up, its sleepy eyes still hidden under the green on its head.

"I want to catch it," Brendan said, pulling out a Poke Ball. May slapped his arm again. "Ow, what? I need its data for the PokeDex…"

"Wally's the one that saved it from those Poochyena," she said. "He should be the one that gets a shot at catching it."

"Really?" Wally asked. He looked down at the Ralts, then nodded, standing up and putting it down in the grass about ten feet away from him. He turned to the other two. "May, you're still going to help me, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. Now first thing's first. You've gotta send out Zigzagoon."

"Right," he said, pulling out the Poke Ball with a shaky hand, his nerves almost getting the best of him. This was the moment. "We can do it, Zigzagoon!" He chucked the ball as hard as he could, almost falling over due to the force. The Pokemon jumped out of the ball once more, ready to attack. This was what he had always dreamed of…battling alongside a Pokemon, shouting commands. After years and years of sitting in a stuffy room at home, he felt…_alive._ "Start out with Tackle!" The Pokemon complied, ramming its head in to the Ralts. In turn, the Psychic-type let out an earth-shattering Growl, causing Zigzagoon to run back in fear.

"Good," May cheered from the sidelines. "If you use Tackle again, it should be enough!"

Wally frowned. He was enjoying the thrill of battle, but doing this to the Ralts that had saved him from the Poochyena didn't seem right. "Zigzagoon, return."

"What are you doing?!" she asked. "Aren't you going to…"

Without saying a word, he walked over to the Ralts, crouching down at patting it on the head. "I don't think it's right for us to be fighting like this," he whispered, then smiled. "You did save us, after all." The Ralts nodded, then made the subtlest of movements with its hands. A small, orange tube appeared next to it. His inhaler.

Wally quickly grabbed it, stuffing it in his pocket before May or Brendan could see. He nodded. "Thank you." Taking out his empty Poke Ball, he held it up in front of Ralts, then spoke up so the other two could hear him. His heart began pounding again, the ball shaking in his hands. "Ralts…I-I'm moving away soon, but I'll be all by myself…C…Can you come with me?"

The Ralts stared at him for a few seconds, then walked up to the Poke Ball. It touched the button with its head, being evaporated into a red light before going inside. It fell out of Wally's hand before shaking on the ground once. Twice. Three times. Click.

The small boy picked the ball up off of the ground, overwhelmed with emotion. Should he cry? Scream? Jump for joy? In the end, he did a mixture of all three. "I did it!" he exclaimed, eyes watering with joy. "It's…it's my…my very own Pokemon!"

"Yeah!" May cheered.

"I really could've used that for my PokeDex…" Brendan mumbled. "But congrats, I guess…"

May grinned, walking over to Wally. "So, what are you going to name it?"

"Good question," he replied, looking down at the Poke Ball. "I'll call it…Roxas." He looked up at the other two and smiled. "Let's go tell your dad, May!" He ran down the path toward Petalburg City, almost tripping on a few rocks along the way.

Sighing, she nodded. "Let's go."

…

As Norman adjusted the green banner on his wall, he heard the Gym doors swing open behind him. He turned to see Wally standing there, a grin on his face with his daughter and Brendan behind him. "So you've all come back in one piece!" he said. "How did it go?"

"Great!" the green haired boy replied. "Here's your Zigzagoon back, sir."

Taking it, the Gym Leader formed a smile in the corner of his mouth. "Wonderful. What Pokemon did you catch?"

"A Ralts," Brendan muttered under his breath. May elbowed him in the stomach.

"A Ralts," Wally said, not hearing Brendan. He tossed the Poke Ball on the ground, the white Pokemon popping out. He picked it up in his arms. "And it was all thanks to May and Brendan!"

The other boy sighed, then grinned. "I guess we helped out a little bit…right, May?" May, in the presence of her father, said nothing. "Yup…" Brendan continued. "Not like we got attacked by a horde of Poochyena…heheh…"

"What do you—"

Wally cut the Gym Leader off, turning to the other two Trainers. "I really want to thank the both of you for helping me get Ralts—"

"You don't have to do anything," May said, finally finding her voice. "We should probably just—"

"Just let me repay you," the smaller boy said. "Can I see your PokeNavs for a second?" Taking the two devices, he inserted a special chip in to the both of them.

"A PlayNav?" Brendan asked.

He nodded, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. "It's supposed to help you grow closer to your Pokemon, and I've had it forever…kind of embarrassing, right?" He laughed nervously. "Anyways, I need to go home and finish up packing for tomorrow. Do you guys…need a place to stay for the night?"

"Not really—" May began, but her father interrupted her.

"That would be great for the three of you," he said. "May and Brendan are in town anyway, and it'll give Wally some extra company before he moves goes to Verdanturf. It'd be a good way for the two of you to end the first day of your journeys!"

Brendan nodded in agreement. "That's true. May, do you really want to spend the night outside after what...uh…happened today?"

May agreed before Norman could question anything. "I guess you're right. We should get going then…bye…Dad."

"I'll see you later, May. We'll battle when you get much stronger," he said as she and Wally walked out of the Gym. Brendan was only a few feet away from the exit when Norman stopped him. "Brendan, wait."

Pausing mid-step, the young boy turned to face the Gym Leader. "What is it?"

Norman walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're traveling with May, correct?" Brendan nodded silently. "Then…just know that it isn't going to be easy. I can see that she's just as headstrong and independent as ever. But this journey will be good for the both of you. You'll learn things from each other."

Brendan nodded, then grinned. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice." He headed toward the door, but was stopped one more time.

"Brendan?"

"Yeah?"

"Take good care of my little girl."

The young Trainer grinned again. "You got it, Norman."

…

"So, Wally," May said as the two walked down the streets of Petalburg. "Why are you moving to Verdanturf?"

He felt his face flush a deep red as he stuff his inhaler further down in to his pocket. "No reason," he said quickly. Realizing that sounded suspicious, he added, "I have relatives there, though."

"Huh," she said. "That's the same reason why I moved here. To be closer to my Dad."

"Really?" Wally asked. He was just happy that the conversation wasn't focused on him anymore.

"Yeah," she responded. "But it's kind of hard to do when I hadn't seen him in five years until today." She turned back to Wally. "So are you ever going to go on a journey?"

Dang it. "Um…I'm not sure…" he replied. "I never really saw myself as a Trainer." That was far from the truth; he had always dreamt of leaving home and travelling across Hoenn. May seemed to sense the lie, but didn't push it further.

"I'm still not sure what I want to do with my journey," she said. "It's kind of funny. I spent all of these years thinking about it, but I never thought that far ahead. Maybe—"

"Hey, wait for me!" Brendan yelled from behind them. He ran up to the two, catching his breath. "You know, it doesn't _always_ have to be a race, May."

She scoffed, then grinned. "According to you. So where's your house, Wally?"

"Right here," he said, pointing to a house a few yards away. It was small compared to other buildings: two floors, a green roof and a small garden next to a pond behind the house. The trio walked in to be greeted by a man in a blue collared shirt, handing a box to a woman dressed in an apron. "Hey Mom and Dad," Wally said, closing the door when the other two walked in.

"Sweetie, I've been worrying about you!" his mother exclaimed, hugging her son. "Where did you run off to? And you brought friends with you, how lovely—"

"Linda, you're embarrassing our son," the man said, pointing out Wally's red face.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm just so excited! So, who are your friends?"

"Um…I'm Brendan Birch," Brendan said.

"Birch?" the woman repeated. "As in the Professor? I remember him! He was always getting in trouble with that exchange student from Johto when he wasn't fooling around with his girlfriend…I heard they got married and had a son. That must be you!"

"That's what my birth certificate says," he replied awkwardly.

"But that exchange student…" Linda said to herself. "I think his name was Norman, maybe?"

May's face turned as red as Wally's. "That would be, uh, my dad. And the Gym Leader of this town…"

"Ah, I see!" she exclaimed. "Now that I think about it, your father wasn't the only exchange student that year…there was another girl from Johto that came in a bit later. She and Norman were inseparable. I heard they got together when they went back to Johto…and they had a daughter! Which must be—"

"Me," May said in embarrassment. "My name is May…"

"How sweet!" Linda said. "It's a small world, isn't it? One of the great things about living in Hoenn. But I'm surprised that you don't live here in Petalburg, May, your father being a Gym Leader and all—"

"Wally caught a Pokemon today," May interrupted, trying to change the subject. And it worked.

His parents looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Um…yeah…" he replied, his face getting red again. He took the ball out, tossing it in the air. "Roxas, come out!" The small, white Pokemon came out, looking at its Trainer. "It's a Ralts," he explained. "Norman, Brendan, and May helped me catch it."

"That's wonderful, son," his father said, bending down to pet the Pokemon. "But you know you won't be able to—"

"I know," Wally said with a sigh. _You know you won't be able to go on a journey because of your condition._ "But I just wanted to have company for when we moved to Verdanturf so I wouldn't be lonely."

Brendan and May looked at each other worriedly. "Won't be able to what?" Brendan asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Linda replied. "So, you two are staying the night, right? I can show you to your rooms."

…

Three in the morning. And he couldn't _sleep._

Wally stared at the digital clock in his room, deep in thought. He knew his parents wouldn't let him go on a journey. In fact, he had braced himself for the disappointment, but it still hurt when they said he couldn't. And it was all because of his stupid asthma.

He looked down at the foot of his bed, where Roxas slept peacefully. Carefully getting out of bed to avoid disturbing it, he went down the stairs, opening the backdoor to step outside. This had become a routine thing for him; going outside for fresh air often cleared his head. He leaned against the white fence, looking at the forest beyond his yard. He squinted his eyes when something seemed to move near the edge of the woods.

It was May, training Ventus by having it scale trees and attack bushes. She seemed especially determined, as if rebounding from a recent loss. Wally never had many friends when he was little, and none of them had been girls. It had crossed his mind a few times that day; May _was_ pretty. And although she was very reserved, she seemed good at heart. And the way she fought those Poochyena indicated that she was a good Trainer. Something sparked inside of Wally; he wanted to be as good as her. Wanted to come out of his shell and have that much confidence. Wanted to be that headstrong and independent.

"Hey," a voice said from behind them. Wally turned around to see Brendan, his messy brown hair unkempt without his hat. He stood next to the younger boy, leaning forward against the fence. "I saw you go down the stairs and figured I'd see what you were up too. I wasn't wrong in thinking that May would be out here training, either."

"Yeah," Wally replied. "I came out here to get some fresh air."

Brendan nodded. "So, when your parents said you couldn't do something earlier…did they mean go on a journey? Why?"

He sighed. "I…I don't really want to talk about it." He watched as May cheered when Ventus broke a tree branch with a single pound. "I'd love to be a Trainer though. Go out and see the world like what you and May are doing."

Brendan nodded again. "To be honest, I still can't believe I'm doing this. Dad just sent me out today to help May, and now I'm here. I'm just travelling to help him out with work. May on the other hand…I don't know what she's going to do, but I feel as if it's going to be something great."

Wally looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not really sure," he replied thoughtfully. "She just has this…aura around her. Even though she hasn't won any official battles yet, she doesn't give up. She's smart and determined. And she cares about her Pokemon. Once she gets battling just right, she'll be sweeping other Trainers like it's nobody's business. It's what makes her a great rival." He laughed. "That's what I think, anyway."

"Brendan?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there something going on between you and May?"

Brendan grinned sheepishly. "Other than her hardheadedness and me pushing her buttons? Not really. Although both my dad and hers said something about the two of us…nah, it's probably nothing."

Wally blinked. "Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing, just thinking."

Brendan shrugged, then stretched. "Well, I'm going back to bed. See you in the morning."

Wally nodded as the other boy went back inside. Then, after a few minutes, went back in as well.

**Chapter four's done! Yay! Again, so sorry for the delay. But now that it's summer, I should be able to actually post on time. So here's the chapter where we meet Wally, one of my favorite characters from the series. And yes, I had to throw in a little ship tease at the end, just to make the shippers wonder :) don't worry though. I won't let romance take over the story. In fact, its focus will be very minor. That's not what Pokemon is about, after all!**

**So this week, I have two QOTWs. One Pokemon related, the other not so much. First question: Since we're on the topic of shipping, who's your favorite ship in the Pokemon universe and why? Or are you not a fan of shipping, and why? And second QOTW: What do you think of the show Phineas and Ferb? Have you seen it? WERE YOU UTTERLY HEARTBROKEN AND IN PIECES WHEN THE LAST EPISODE AIRED?! I was. That last moment when Phineas turns to the audience and waves out the door before closing it really got me. Seven years and ten months of summer, and it's finally over. But I get why they ended it. They didn't want it to overstay its welcome like some other kid shows (looking at you, SpongeBob). But still, I feel as if there was so much more they could've done. After OWCA Files airs, I don't know what I'll do. But I'm glad the show had a good run. But enough rambling. Make sure to review! See you next week!**


	5. You Had To Send Him Of All People

Chapter Five: You Had to Send Him of All People…

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here, and I'm back for another chapter! Again, I'm incredibly sorry that I haven't updated. I'll explain more on that later. First, let's reply to the reviews.**

**XBakaNinGyoX: Brendan's afraid of Smokey the Bear. XD Thanks for the review!**

**OmniDragon10: Damn. That's a lot of Ash ships lol. Thanks for the review!**

**Matthew Garner: Yeah, Amourshipping does have a lot to back it up. Still prefer Pokeshipping though :P And yes, we salute you, Phineas and Ferb. Thanks for the review!**

**The Legendary Falcon Fall: Yeah, those are pretty awesome ships. But I can't say I've heard of Chessshiping. Might look in to it later. But thanks for reviewing!**

**JulCan1987: Thanks! And I'm looking forward to writing it. Yeah, main character ships can be kind of cliché. But like you said, it depends on the buildup. The great thing though is that they don't have personalities that are set in stone (or at least the player character doesn't anyway), so you can mold it to pretty much anything. Thanks for the review!**

**UpbeatButNegative: I agree with everything you said about P and F lol. And I was wondering where Stacy and Jeremy were too! I know they wanted to keep it down to the main characters, but those two have been around forever! Anyway, thank you! I tried to expand on stuff a lot more this chapter. And I love Wally's redesign too! It's so adorable! Before he just looked like a rich kid tbh. But now he actually looks how he's supposed to. Anyway, thanks for the long review! It's always appreciated.**

**Gabiola652: Yeah, the show is over, sadly. And thank you for reading, even though you don't know much about Pokemon! I really appreciate that kind of loyalty from my fans. There are others that I know that play Pokemon, yet they don't read this story. So thank you :)**

**Pokerox27: I felt the same way when Phineas turned around and waved lol. And thanks for the review!**

**TheArtSmartQueen: I like both of those ships lol. And don't apologize for a long review. I adore them. Thanks!**

**ZIAH THE HEDGEHOG: I didn't watch much of the Hoenn anime, so I don't know much about Advancedshipping. Maybe I'll look in to it a little bit. Thanks for the review!**

**Crepo the Porcupine: I agree. SpongeBob needs to get its act together. Thanks for the review!**

**Aureillia: Hey, you're a new face :D Thanks for all of the previous reviews! Now to reply to this one. Thank you! Like I said before, I tried to expand a lot more with this chapter. And I agree with you about May's relationship with Norman. It was just kind of…eh. They added that little tidbit with Wally's father though, so that was definitely an improvement over the original. The characters felt way more real. And I love Pokeshipping too! And you definitely made a good choice seeing the movie lol. Thanks for the long review!**

**TheArtSmartQueen: I'm back. Lol**

**All right. Again, thanks so much for the reviews. You guys are truly the reason why I keep writing. Now on with the story!**

"This is the last box," Linda said, helping her son lift a large cardboard box in to the back of the moving truck.

"Y'know, we could've helped you pack all this stuff in," May said, scratching the back of her head.

"No need for that," Wally's father replied. "You two are our guests after all. Are you ready, son?"

Out of the corner of her eye, May saw Wally pick up something orange off of the ground in the corner of her eye. His face flushed red when they made eye contact. "Yeah, dad. I'm ready," he said awkwardly. He turned to May and Brendan. "Um, thanks for helping me catch Roxas…bye!"

"No problem," Brendan said with a wave. "Though I still would've liked that Ralts for myself…" he added quietly. Deep in thought about what she just saw, May said nothing.

Wally's father leaned against the driver's door, talking to a man with similar facial features but less hair. "Make sure to take good care of my son, dear brother," he said, grinning.

"I will, I will," the driver replied. "He is my only nephew, after all." He tousled Wally's green hair as the boy got in to the passenger's seat.

"Be good, sweetie!" his mother called, wiping her eye off with a tissue. "And make sure to change your underwear, every single day!"

"Mom!" he exclaimed, his face turning red again.

"All right," his uncle said, starting up the truck. "We better get going. Linda, George, I'll see you later!" The truck then drove off, disappearing down Route 104.

Linda sniffed. "He's gone…"

Her husband put an arm around her. "Don't worry dear." He then turned to May and Brendan. "I want to thank you two for helping out our son. He hasn't smiled like that in ages!"

"It was no big deal," Brendan said with a grin. "Right, May?"

May snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, yeah. We were happy to help."

George nodded. "Now if you two ever need anything, then just call." He and his wife went back inside, leaving Brendan and May alone once again.

"Well, glad that's over," Brendan said. "Every time I see that Ralts I'm baffled by how he managed to get it on his first try." He turned to May, who was looking up at the morning sky. "What? No sarcastic comments? No eye roll? What's up with you?"

"Do you ever wonder why Wally's moving to Verdanturf?"

He shrugged. "It's not really any of our business. I wouldn't worry about it."

She shook her head. "I guess you're right. Let's stop by the Pokemon Center before we head out. I bet I can get there first!" She then took off down the road, leaving her in the dust.

Brendan grinned. "That's more like it."

…

"Here you go, Ventus," May said, handing an Oran Berry to her Pokemon. She and Brendan were sitting on a couch in the Pokemon Center, both with their starters in their laps.

"Did you try training Pink last night?" Brendan asked, rubbing Sora on the head.

She sighed, looking at the unruly Pokemon's Poke Ball. "No. I just don't know what to do. No matter what I say, it won't listen."

A figure walking by suddenly stopped, then turned to face them. They were about 5'8", hidden in a black coat and dark pants. Their face was covered by a hat, though a few strands of light steel blue hair were peeking out at the ends. "That determined energy…" it was a man's voice, deep, but with no signs of gruffness. A smile touched the corner of his lips. "Are you Norman's daughter?"

May stiffened, holding Ventus closer to her in a protective manner. "Yes."

The man laughed. "No need to be alarmed. Norman is a good Gym Leader. He's been providing a challenge for those who want to get in to the Pokemon League."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Brendan just stared.

The man shook his head, his posture spilling with confidence. "You'll find out in due time. So you were saying that you were having trouble controlling one of your Pokemon?"

"Yeah," she replied suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Have you considered taking the Hoenn League challenge? I'm sure you know about it because of your father," he said. "Collecting badges and travelling around the region could bring you and your Pokemon closer together."

May let the stranger's words sink in. Collecting badges…defeating the Elite Four and Champion…and more importantly…her father. _Her. _Defeating _Norman._ That was it. That was the key to proving herself to her father. The key to showing that she hadn't become a disappointment of a daughter while he was away. She sat in silence for a few minutes, staring down at the floor deep in thought.

"I'll let you think about it," the man said. He smiled a bit. "But for now, I must be on my way. There's business in Dewford I need to attend to. I have a feeling we'll meet again." He then turned swiftly on his heels and disappeared out the door.

Brendan leaned back in to the couch, crossing his arms. "I swear I've seen him before. I feel like I've heard his voice on TV or something, but I'm usually helping Dad out so I don't pay much attention…"

"Has your dad registered my Trainer ID yet?" May asked quickly.

"Maybe…why?" he asked.

"Call him."

Brendan shrugged, pulling out his PokeNav. "I forgot my Trainer Card at home anyway. He'll probably be able to send yours too." He pressed a few buttons on the device, causing it to ring for a few seconds.

"Hey there, son," the Professor said, his image appearing on the screen. "I see you're in a Pokemon Center. Are you in Petalburg with May?"

"Yeah," he replied. "She's right here."

May scooted in to view. "Hey Professor," she said. "I was wondering…do you have my Trainer ID registered yet?"

"I do, actu—" there was a loud crash behind him, followed by a yell. "Harold! What did I tell you about provoking the Zigzagoon?!" He sighed, then turned back to the screen. "I'll have him meet you over in Rustboro."

"You mean…Harold?" Brendan asked cautiously.

"Yes, I mean Harold, son."

"…"

The Professor nodded. "Great! I'll send him over. Have a good day, you t—DON'T LET IT KNOCK THAT OVER HAROLD!" The call then ended, leaving them in silence.

"Welp," Brendan said. "Harold will probably be dead five steps in to Route 101."

May couldn't exactly argue with that. "So where to next?"

"Let's see…" Turning his AreaNav on, he looked at the screen again. "Next, we go west and up through the first part of Route 104, through Petalburg Woods, up the second part of Route 104, and then we'll be in Rustboro."

"Sounds good," she replied. The two of them walked out of the building and west towards their next destination. Standing at the beginning of the route's path, everything was visible: a bright blue sky, patches of grass along the edges of a cliff, and below all of it was a sandy beach right next to the ocean. "It's just like Olivine City! Just with less boats and only one port."

Brendan made a gagging noise. "I can't stand the ocean."

May raised an eyebrow. "_What?!_ You live in HOENN, the most tropical place in the world, literally an ISLAND, and you don't like the _ocean_?!"

"I'm always worried it's going to flood Littleroot or something!" he exclaimed. "We live right on the edge of the island—"

"Surrounded by trees!"

"Now, now, settle down, youngsters," a voice said from up ahead. An old, bald man in his seventies was walking towards them, a stick in his hands and a Wingull on his shoulder. "You'll disturb the Pokemon living around here."

"Sorry," Brendan muttered.

"Who are you?" May asked.

The old man laughed. "They call me Mr. Briney. My darling Peeko and I were just about to go for a walk when we heard you," he explained, petting his Wingull. "Well, I'll be seeing you around." He then walked away.

"What was that about?" she asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Foreshadowing."

"What?"

Brendan shook his head. "Never mind. Petalburg Woods is that way!"

…

"There are so many new Pokemon here," Brendan said, looking down at his PokeDex. "I don't even know where to start."

"I'm more concerned about Harold keeping our Trainer Cards intact," May said, stepping over a large bush. Petalburg Woods was filled with large trees and huge patches of grass. Light could barely filter through the large canopy above them, but drops of sunlight splashed along the ground here and there.

"He probably—" Brendan suddenly stopped, turning his head to the left. "Did you hear that?" He pointed to a rustling patch of grass a few feet away. "It's a Shroomish," he said, taking out his DexNav. "I want to catch it."

"Who said you get to catch it?" May asked. "What if I want to?"

"Well, for starters, I saw it first. I'm also the one trying to actually complete the PokeDex. I only have one Pokemon in my party. And, oh yeah, you already have two Pokemon weak to flying-type attacks. Do you really want to add a third? Plus I helped you catch—"

"Don't bring that up!" she exclaimed, covering her ears. "You offered, I didn't ask. Just catch the damn Shroomish."

Brendan grinned. "That's what I thought." He looked at the chick Pokemon sitting on his shoulder. "Ready?" It nodded, beak ready to be aflame. "All right. Sora, I believe in you!"

The Torchic leapt from his shoulders, springing itself in to the air and on to a tree branch right above the Shroomish. The two Pokemon stared at each other curiously as Brendan shouted the first command.

"Sora, Tackle!"

The Torchic dove out of the tree, its head crashing and bouncing off of the Shroomish's. The tan and green mushroom like creature ducked squeaked in pain, then backed further in to the patch of grass. Sora stared at it curiously again.

"Why isn't it fighting back?" May asked.

"It's probably scared," Brendan whispered. He took a step closer, causing the Shroomish to panic and release a spray of yellow dust toward Sora. The Trainer quickly jumped in the way, protecting his Pokemon. The attack hit him in the face, its effects quickly taking over and knocking him on the ground.

"Brendan!" May yelped, rushing to his side. She gritted her teeth as the Shroomish fled in fear. "Are you okay?" She tried to help him stand, but his body wouldn't comply.

"Stun Spore," he grunted in pain. "I can't get up…and I forgot to pick up meds at the Poke Mart…do you have any Paralyze Heal?"

Checking her bag, May shook her head. "I don't. What do we do now?"

"We'll just—"

"HELP!"

"Was that…" May began.

Brendan nodded. "Harold. Of course it's Harold…"

"How did he get ahead of us?!"

"That's not important right now," he said quickly. "You need to go help him."

"But you'll be here all by yourself!" she countered. "I can't—"

He stopped her mid-sentence, albeit weakly. "I have Sora here…Harold needs you. Now go."

"Okay," she said hesitantly. She began running in the direction of the scream, looked back at Brendan, then began running again.

"HELP!" Harold yelled at the top of his lungs.

May crept around the corner with Ventus at her side, concealing herself in the bushes and behind a tree. A dark skinned man with a black bandana was tying Harold against a tree with ropes. He looked like a sailor: a blue and white striped shirt, black gloves and boots, and blue pants. A little goatee was beginning to form on his rigid face. "Shut up, dweeb," he said, standing in front of Harold. "You're a researcher. Now what do you know about Primal Reversion?!"

Harold blinked in silence for a few seconds, then began screaming right after. The grunt slapped him across the face.

"I was going to ambush you at the other end of the forest, but I got bored and came out here. And this is all I get?! An idiot who can't stop screaming?!"

"Now's our chance," May whispered. She and Ventus jumped out from behind the bushes, revealing themselves. "Pride's on the line, Ventus! Use Pound!"

"May?!" Harold shouted in surprise.

The other man smirked. "A little pipsqueak, huh? I'll take care of this. Poochyena, get out there and use Tackle!" He threw a Poke Ball in their direct, causing a small black wolf just like the one that had attacked Professor Birch to appear. It dodged Ventus' attack, then rammed itself in to the wood gecko, which then jumped in to a tree to avoid further harm. "Hah! Is that all you've got?"

"Not even close!" she shouted.

Meanwhile, Brendan was having his own set of problems. The pain caused by the Stun Spore was getting worse and worse as time went on, his joints getting harder and harder to move. His Torchic chirped nervously. "Don't worry, Sora," he said, gritting his teeth in pain. "May will be back. We just have to wait until then."

Still worried, his Pokemon nestled itself in to the crook of his neck. The Trainer did his best to smile. "Thanks for keeping a look out," he whispered. Sora nodded.

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes. Sora looked up when there was a rustling in the bushes from May's direction. A woman with black hair, a blue and white striped shirt, a bandana, and red eyes approached them. Sora chirped in warning, nudging its Trainer.

"Who's there?" Brendan asked. "I can't move my head…"

"He's been hit with a Stun Spore," a female voice said from what seemed to be less than a foot away. The cry of a small Pokemon close to the ground was heard. "You're right. Maybe it's best to knock him out and put him out of his misery." The sound of a Poke Ball opening was heard, followed by the cry of a mighty beast.

Brendan tried to open his mouth to protest, but his jaw had been paralyzed shut. His heart started racing; in his peripheral vision, he could see a large, scaly, red wing looming near him. Whatever it was, its attacks were going to hurt. A lot.

"Salamence, Dragon Claw."

He braced for the impact, but it never came. He took in a sharp breath as Sora jumped in front of the attack to protect him, but the attack never seemed to hit it either. The Torchic landed on his chest with a painful thud, but was unharmed. A high-pitched Pokemon cry came from a few feet away, sounding as if it was in pain.

"A wild Pokemon blocked the attack," the feminine voice said thoughtfully. How strange…"

Back with the others, May was still battling. "Ventus, use Quick Attack to trap the Poochyena!"

Within seconds, the Treecko was running literal circles around its opponent, making it seem as if there were multiple versions of it; it was almost as believable as an actual Double Team.

"Grab by the head, Poochyena!" the man yelled furiously.

Despite Ventus' fast movements, the Poochyena was able to grab it, holding it down against the ground with incredible strength. "Now Tackle it!"

"Just what I expected," May said with a grin. "Ventus, use Absorb over and over and over!" It nodded, its long tail lighting up with a soft green light. It wrapped it around the Poochyena's stomach, sucking its energy and neutralizing any damage form the Tackle. "Now take it and throw it against the tree!"

Escaping from under its opponent, Ventus scaled half way up a tree, the Poochyena still wrapped in its tail. With a great amount of energy it flung it to the tree across the path, almost hitting Harold in the face. The Poochyena landed back on its feet and charged at Ventus without command, pinning it on the ground and sinking its teeth in to its neck.

"That's it!" the man laughed.

"Get out of there, Ventus!" May yelled. "Use Pound to pry it off of you!"

With beads of sweat beginning to form on its face, the Treecko slowly but surely began pushing it off with its tail. With a final swoop it landed the attack, sending the other Pokemon flying again.

"Good job!" she exclaimed. "Now conceal yourself in the trees!"

"Find a way to follow it up there, Poochyena!"

Ventus began scurrying up one of the evergreens as fast as possible, only to have the Poochyena latch on to its tail at the last second. They ascended higher and higher, eventually reaching branches that could barely support their weight.

May grinned. The rush of excitement from battling was coming back to her, just the way it had been there when she first saved the Professor. "Your Poochyena isn't accustomed to being up that high," she said confidently. "If Ventus decides to drop it, it's game over you."

"Well your Pokemon is up there too," the man growled. "What about them?"

"Treecko are indigenous to wooded areas," she explained. "Being in trees like this are its natural habitat." She suddenly frowned. Being the PokeDex nerd wasn't her. That was Brendan's jo—

_Brendan._

"Ventus!" she yelled. "Hurry up and finish this! Use Pound to knock it out!" As her Pokemon complied with her commands and caused the Poochyena to fall to the ground, she mentally slapped herself. In the heat of the battle, had she really forgotten about him? He had said he had Sora, but they both knew it wouldn't be enough if Sora got paralyzed too. She was jolted out of her thoughts when the Poochyena hit the ground, unable to battle. Ventus hopped down from the tree with a satisfied look on his face.

The man growled. "Return." He turned to May as the Pokemon went back in to its Poke Ball. "You made a big mistake protecting this guy, kid. No one gets mercy from Team Aqua."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You've got some nerve messing with us. I'd tell you to battle me again, but I'm out of Pokemon."

"Why are you even here?" she growled.

"Team Aqua has something to do in Rustboro," the Grunt replied. "I'll let you get away this time! But next time you won't be so lucky." He then sprinted down the path and out of sight.

May was about to follow, then suddenly stopped. "Brendan!" She began running in the direction she came, ignoring anything that stood in her way.

"May!" Harold yelled, trying to wiggle out of the ropes. "You can't just leave me here!"

Ventus, who was already half way down the path, stopped and rolled its eyes. It turned back to the tree and used Pound to cut the ropes with its tail.

"Phew, thanks," Harold said, brushing himself off. "Now let's go see what the commotion is all abou—" after three steps of walking, he tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his face.

Ventus rolled its eyes again and walked away.

"Hey! YOU STILL CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

…

May kneeled down on the ground next to Brendan, who had already passed out from pain. "I was so stupid to have forgotten about you," she mumbled to herself, rummaging through her bag in a desperate attempt to find something that could help him. "Literally paralyzed out here in the middle of nowhere with only one Pokemon, and I forgot about you." She sighed and turned to Sora. "Did anything happen while I was away?"

Torchic gestured towards the direction the strange woman had come from with its tiny wing, but any trace of her had disappeared.

"There's nothing there," May said in confusion.

It quickly shook its head, then scurried over to a pile of ferns on the ground a few feet away from there. Removing a few of the ferns, it revealed a fainted mushroom Pokemon from underneath.

She flinched. "The Shroomish?"

Torchic suddenly chirped loudly, making random body movements in a futile attempt to explain what happened. May didn't understand most of it, but picked up on a few things.

"So the Shroomish is like that because of something else?"

Sora nodded quickly.

May took in a deep breath, then let it out. "Okay. That makes sense. So what happens now?" Her question was partially answered when Ventus arrived, carrying red and blue berries with its tail and arms. "Cheri and Oran berries?" She looked over to Sora, who had gathered a small pile of sticks. It blew a small flame on it, starting a controlled fire.

Thinking for a second, May looked down at Brendan, then back up at the sky. It was only one or two in the afternoon at the latest…but there was no way she would be able to get Brendan back to Petalburg or keep going with him towards Rustboro. "Maybe we will have to stay here for a while…" Rummaging through her bag again, she pulled out two bags: one with a foldable tent frame, the other with the canvas. It was only made for one person, but it would have to do.

About half an hour later everything had been set up: Sora had a steady fire going, Ventus had created bowls out of rocks, the two had worked together to mash the berries, and May had finally set up the tent. Working together, the three of them were able to move the still unconscious Brendan inside.

"We shouldn't have left him," May said, taking a bowl of mashed, heated berries from Ventus. She raised Brendan's lips to it, allowing him to swallow. "I mean, we wouldn't have been able to do much, but maybe if one of us stayed Sora could've gone out looking for help…" she looked down at Pink's Poke Ball. "And maybe if I was a decent Trainer I could've convinced you to help."

Meanwhile, Sora was outside, tending Shroomish left in the ferns. It was now awake, eating the Oran berries the Torchic had given it. The two Pokemon sat together, Sora happily chirping away.

May, who had been watching from the inside of the tent, sighed. "Now you need to wake up," she said to her sleeping friend. "But I guess it couldn't get much worse." She paused for a moment, then looked outside. "Hey, it didn't start raining! Usually when someone says that it—" there was a sudden clap of thunder, followed by heavy rainfall. "…starts pouring," she finished.

Torchic and Shroomish suddenly came bursting through the tent flaps, the former chirping like crazy due to its wet feathers. It jumped in to May's arms, huddling for warmth. Ventus rolled its eyes.

"You're going to be just fine," she said. She pulled a fluffy blanket out of her bag, quickly drying it off. "It's just a little rain, after all." She set it down next to the Shroomish when a sudden tapping sound hit the side of the tent. "Stay here," she whispered, then went outside. "Who's there?" she asked.

"May!" Harold exclaimed, running to the front of the tent, tripping over a rock and landing on his face in front of her. "You have to let me in! It's pouring out here!"

"How did you get untied?!" she asked.

"Your Treecko untied me," he replied, still on the ground. "Then I tripped over a tree root and it left me there! So I just sat out in there until it started raining. After that I came looking for you! So can I come in please?"

May stared at him for a moment, the both of them getting soaked by the rain. "No," she answered, then started heading back inside. Harold grabbed her shoe.

"PLEASE!" he exclaimed. He pulled a bagel out of his pocket. "If I give you this bagel will you let me in?"

"No!"

He picked a stick up off of the ground, then put it through the bagel. "Now it's a bagel on a stick! If I give it to you would you let me in then?"

"No!" May exclaimed. "That's not even in improvement, you just made a perfectly good bagel dirty! And I don't know what's been in your pocket!" She was about to go back inside, but Harold stopped her again.

"WAIT!" He pulled two 2x3 inch cards. "What about your Trainer ID's?"

"Well, I'll take those," she said, plucking them from his hand.

"Will you let me in now?" Harold asked.

May hesitated, then shook her head. "No." She went back inside without any objections, leaving Harold in the rain. Once she had settled inside, he stood up and brushed himself off. "Fine! I'm going back to Littleroot…"

"Tell Birch I said hi," May called. She looked back at the Shroomish, which was staring at Brendan with concern. "I doubt he blames you for it," she said. "Me, on the other hand…" She buried her face in her knees. "Damn it! I know he wanted me to go save Harold, but…ugh. Look at me. I don't even have a good reason for blaming myself."

"May…you're such…"

Her eyes widened. "Brendan?"

"May, you're such a girl." He opened his eyes and smirked at her. "Hi."

"You're okay!" she exclaimed, resisting a surprisingly strong urge to throw her arms around him and hug him. "Wait, how much of that did you hear?"

He sat up, grinned, and looked at her. "Enough to know that you were worried about my well-being. Like a girl."

"I was not!" she exclaimed. "And being worried about someone isn't 'a girl' thing."

"Just admit it May."

"Never."

They both got out of the tent, Brendan stretching to loosen his joints. The rain had finally stopped, leaving every blade of grass wet. "All right," he said. "But we both know the truth, May."

"No idea what you're talking about," she said. As soon as all the Pokemon had gotten out, she began disassembling the tent. "Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Brendan and Sora exchanged glances. "Nope," he replied. "What about with you?"

May and Ventus looked at each other for a moment. "Not really," she lied. "Harold got attacked by a wild Pokemon. That's pretty much it." She finished putting the remnants of the tent in her bag. "Ready to go?"

"Ready," he replied. There was a sudden squeaking sound behind him. He turned to see the Shroomish looking up at him nervously. He bent down and smiled. "Hey. Do you want to come with us?" It nodded vigorously. "All right then." He stood up and took out empty Poke Ball, then threw it. It hit the Shroomish square on the head, vaporizing it in to a red light that went in to the ball. It shook once. Twice. Three times. Click.

"Yes!" Brendan exclaimed. He took out his PokeDex, scanning the ball. "It's a female."

"What are you going to name it?" May asked.

"Truffle," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Why not?" he asked. "C'mon. We should get going to Rustboro." He returned his starter to his Poke Ball, while May did the same. "I'll even race you there!" He took off further in to the woods, leaving May behind.

"Brendan! Wait!"

**Chapter 5's done! Yay! Again, so sorry that I haven't updated in a month. To be fair, I was gone for a week because I went to camp (where I made a lot of new friends) but that doesn't excuse the other two and a half weeks that I didn't update. I said this would be a weekly series, and in the past two months I've posted two chapters. From now on I'm going to procrastinate less and write AT LEAST 500-1000 words a day. Each of these chapters is about 4000 words (not counting author notes) so that should help me update on time. Anyway, a lot of things happening in this chapter! May and Brendan make it to Petalburg Woods and Brendan catches a Shroomish! Harold gets more screen time as well, since you guys seemed to enjoy his randomness. So QOTW: There are lots of minor characters in the Pokemon series that a lot of people love. Youngster Joey, that weird Ferris Wheel hiker in BW 2, and every lass who was like "You looked at me, didn't you?" or "EEEEEEEK! Don't try anything funny in the dark!" so out of all of these, which is your favorite and why? And remember to review too! Smell ya later!**


	6. Kicked Out

Chapter Six: Kicked Out

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here, AND I'VE FINALLY UPDATED ON TIME! HOORAY! I hope you guys are proud of me. Anyway, let's get to the reviews!**

**ZIAH THE HEDGEHOG: Yes. Joey is quite awesome. Thanks for the review!**

**OmniDragon10: I saw that in X and Y lol. I knew it was a reference to something, but I still stared at it like…what. Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**Martyn: Well, I have Brendan eat something this chapter, if that makes you feel better lol. Thanks for the review!**

**UpbeatButNegative: I'm not exactly sure where I want to go with May's team yet, but suggestions are always welcome. And thank you for saying I can take a break if I need to, as I really appreciate the consideration. Too many times have I seen some of my friends here get a lot of crazy reviews saying that they need to update faster. And overall, thanks for the great reviews!**

**The Legendary Falcon Fall: You never know with Brendan, you know? As for Zinnia…you will see in due time. Thanks for the review!**

**Matthew Garner: I hope you had fun at Taekwondo camp! And yeah…I'd like to be able to say I wrote every day before camp, but to be honest, I kind of didn't. I just procrastinated A LOT. That's why I'm trying to write at least 500-1000 words every day. And Youngster Joey is amazing! Thanks for the review!**

**Pokerox27: Damn, a lot of you guys like Joey XD And I love Youngster Ben. I still regularly make the shorts joke. Thanks for the review!**

**I know I've already said it a million times, but I really mean it when I say thank you for the reviews. They mean a lot. Now on with the chapter!**

"I made it out first!" Brendan cheered, reaching the edge of the woods.

"You had a head start," May panted, leaning a hand against the tree.

He laughed, crossing his arms. "But I was paralyzed right before I got a head start. And either way, I still won."

"Whatever," May said, rolling her eyes. "At least we're out of that stupid forest." And she was glad too: Route 104 was much closer to her liking. The sun was shining bright again, clouds reflected in the pond a few yards away. A wooden bridge allowed people to cross, a few Trainers using it to battle. A flower shop was also on the side of the route, customers going in every few minutes and coming out with bouquets of roses or baskets of Pecha berries.

"Look, they're selling flowers," Brendan teased. "You should shop there. You know. Because you're a girl."

May rolled her eyes. "You know, it was this _girl's _Pokemon that got the berries that healed you. If it weren't for that, you'd probably still be passed out in the middle of the woods."

"Yeah, but that was your Pokemon, who's not a girl," Brendan countered. "And Ventus is a Treecko, so it would go out and find them anyway. That's its natural instinct."

May opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. "You're annoying," she said finally.

He grinned. "Glad you think so. Now let's get moving."

"Fine," she replied. As the two of them walked along the path, she turned and looked at him. "You know how that guy said I should take the Hoenn League challenge?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Are you doing it too?"

Brendan was thoughtful for a minute. "I might," he replied. "But I need to focus on completing the PokeDex, too. What about you?"

"I think I'm going to," she replied after a few seconds. "Where's the first gym?"

He pulled out his AreaNav, typing a few things in. "Rustboro City," he answered. "You might even be able to challenge the Gym Leader today."

She looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball. "I'm not even sure if we're ready," she replied. "This is literally the second day on our journey. Maybe after a little bit of training…"

As the two walked across the bridge, a pair of young girls approached them. They were about six or seven in age and identical in appearance, both with brown hair and green dresses. They both held Pikachu dolls, much like any child clutches their favorite stuffed animal. "I'm Gina!" the first one said.

"And I'm Mia!" the second one exclaimed. "And we're twins!"

"And we want to battle!" Gina finished.

Brendan grinned. "It looks like you can start your training now, May. We'll battle you, I guess."

"Great!" the twins cheered. They both ran a few feet down the dock, a Poke Ball in each of their hands.

"Go Lotad!" Gina shouted.

"Go Seedot!" Mia exclaimed.

The first Pokemon that appeared resembled a blue platypus with six legs. On top of it was a fresh green lily pad. The second Pokemon was almost identical to an acorn with two mask like eyes and tiny round feet.

"Heaven't seen either of those yet," May said, pulling out her PokeDex. "A Water/Grass type and a pure Grass type."

"Makes life pretty easy for me," Brendan said confidently. "Sora, I believe in you!" He threw his Poke Ball, the fiery chick appearing on the wooden bridge.

She nodded. "Pride's on the line, Ventus!" As soon as she threw the Poke Ball the Treecko appeared next to Sora, its arms crossed and ready to battle.

"We'll take the first attack," the twins said in unison.

"Lotad, jump in to the water!"

"Seedot, use Harden over and over!"

The Lotad was first to act, using its six legs to spring high in to the air before landing in the water, its lily pad the only thing visible to those on land. After this had been done, the Seddot began glowing in a whilte light, and when it had faded, the Pokemon looked sturdier than it had been before.

"All right Sora, use Ember on the Seedot and keep the fire going!" Brendan shouted.

The Torchic took in a deep breath, fillings its lungs with fresh air. Its beak lit up with a spark, allowing it to blast a large flame at the acorn-like Pokemon. It had no reaction, withstanding the heat.

"Ventus, jump on top of the Lotad using Quick Attack!" May yelled.

"Don't let 'em do it, Lotad!" Gina yelled. "Go hide yourself in those lily pads by the edge of the pond!"

Ventus, being the fastest one on the field, was the first to move. Glowing from the Quick Attack, it sprinted across the water and on to the Lotad's back. As soon as its opponent began moving toward the edge of the water it lost its balance, then quickly recovered and landed skillfully in the water.

"Don't lose sight of it!" May shouted.

Back on land, Sora was setting fire to the Seedot, who still hadn't moved an inch. "Why aren't they fighting back?" Brendan wondered. "Hey kid!" he shouted. "You know you're supposed to attack back ri—"

"Now it's time for our secret attack!" Mia interrupted. "Use Bide and unleash your energy!"

"What?!" Brendan exclaimed. "When did you—" Before he could finish his sentence, the Seedot quickly turned the color red, then unleashed a huge, concentrated beam of energy toward the Torchic. Sora chirped in panic, but couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The beam made contact, sending it flying towards the pond.

"Ventus!" May shouted. "Use Pound on the lily pads around you to keep Sora from landing in the water!"

The wood gecko acted quickly, stopping its search for the Lotad. It sprang in to the air, then smacked a few lily pads in Sora's direction. The Torchic landed safely on them, yet was still trying to recover from the hit.

"You never told it to use Bide!" Brendan exclaimed.

"I trained it to automatically use Bide after Harden!" the little girl replied with a grin. "That way we can always surprise our opponents!"

"Are they allowed to do that?" May asked.

Brendan grinned and adjusted his hat. "I don't know, but we'll just have to roll with it!"

"Lotad!" Gina yelled. "Use Bubble underwater to get Torchic off the lily pads!"

"Stop it, Ventus! Get on its back and use Absorb!"

Ventus jumped in to action, hopping on the Pokemon as soon as it moved. It wrapped its tail around the Pokemon, absorbing its energy. The Loatd tried to squirm out of its grasp, flipping itself belly up and putting the Treecko underwater. Still upside down, it submerged its blue body as well, then blasted bubbles underneath the group of lily pads.

"Jump, Sora!" Brendan yelled.

The Torchic stood up weakly, but was able to spring out of the way just in time, landing on the bridge in front of Seedot. It got ready to send another Ember in its direction, but suddenly collapsed before it got the chance.

"Sora!" Brendan shouted. He ran to his Pokemon, picking it up in his arms. "Are you okay?" The Torchic chirped softly as he returned it to its Poke Ball. "You did well."

"I guess it's all up to us now," May said. "Ventus, use Quick Attack to flip Lotad over!"

Cloaking itself in a bright light, Ventus spun around, causing the opponent to land lily pad up.

"Get it off, Lotad!" Gina shouted.

"And you help it out, Seedot!" Mia called.

The Lotad suddenly began swimming in circles at a fast pace, making it hard for Ventus to balance. The Seedot jumped on the lily pad Pokemon's back, trying to knock Ventus off. The Treecko dodged multiple times, still trying to stay on the Lotad. After a few dodges it became cornered along the edge, the special grips on its feet being the only thing keeping it from falling off.

"Absorb!" Gina yelled.

"And you use Harden and shove it in to the water!" Mia exclaimed.

"Dodge it and use Absorb as well!" May commanded.

Ventus jumped as soon as the Seedot came running towards it, causing the acorn Pokemon to fall in to the water. It flailed its stubby legs helplessly until Mia returned it to its Poke Ball.

"You did well, Seedot," she said.

As soon as Seedot disappeared from the battlefield, Lotad's lily pad began glowing. Ventus found itself stuck in place as its energy was sucked out of it. Pulling itself together, it returned the attack with its tail, only stronger. It seemed to be more effective than a regular Absorb, giving the Treecko more energy.

Brendan took out his PokeDex, typing a few things in. "That's not Absorb," he commented. "That's Mega Drain!"

Once Ventus had gotten all of its energy back, it swatted the Lotad away with its tail and into a rock, then landed on a nearby bank.

"Lotad can't battle anymore!" Brendan exclaimed. "We won, May!"

"Yes!" she cheered. She ran over to Ventus, picking it up and putting it on her shoulder. "And you learned Mega Drain!" She looked over to the twins who seemed disappointed. "It was a good battle," she said, walking over to them. "It showed that you guys make a great team. And we all got closer to our Pokemon!"

"And it proves that May needs me to help her out in battles," Brendan said with a grin, placing his hands on his hips.

May rolled her eyes. "I saved you with those lily pads, you know."

Brendan laughed. "I let you help me. Besides, I still could've used Truffle if I wanted to."

"Then why didn't you?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out at first. "Maybe I thought you could handle yourself," he admitted.

May smirked. "That's what I thought." She waved at the twins, then looked at Brendan. "Betcha I can beat you to Rustboro!" she exclaimed, then took off down the bridge.

"Wait for me, May!"

…

"Finally!" May panted, touching the black gates at the edge of the route. "I made it here first!"

"For once," Brendan pointed out, running up to her. He leaned against the fences connected to the gate, allowing her to catch her breath. "And you had a head start."

"Like you always do," she said. "At least we're here in…whoa." The two looked up at the city ahead of them. It was bigger than Littleroot, Oldale, and Petalburg combined, yet it didn't give off the feel of a modern city. The streets were fashioned from cobblestone, the many rocks shining underneath the dim light of lanterns. These were all connected to the black fence and gates the two stood near, surrounding the outskirts of the city and going through them as well. The buildings were also old in nature, made of weathered brick but still managing to look professional. The tallest was on the west side, having three floors and a balcony on the top.

"Rustboro City," he whispered. "It's so different from Littleroot…" The two walked through the opened gates and in to the city. People were busily going about their daily lives, moving from building to building. One particular building seemed especially busy however, a group of kids about their ages and a few younger ones crowded around one area.

"What's over there?" May asked.

Brendan shrugged. "I don't know. But we should stop at the Pokemon Center first. Our Pokemon really needed it." Managing to make past the huge crowd, the two walked in to the center, got their Pokemon healed, and sat down for a bite to eat.

"I wonder if Harold made it back to Littleroot Town in one piece," May said, poking her salad with her fork. She used it to give a cherry tomato to Ventus, who sat by her side.

Brendan bit in to his hamburger, a drop of ketchup landing on the plate. "Probably not," he replied, putting it back down. Sora pecked at the bun. "Hey," he said. "Go steal one of May's tomatoes." It chirped, then walked over to May's bowl and stole one.

"Thanks, Brendan," she said sarcastically.

"It's not like you were gonna eat them anyway," he said, taking another bite.

"Well—" she suddenly stopped as a large crowd of people entered the Pokemon Center, all of them shouting and trying to get a better view of whatever they were surrounding.

"All right, all right," a Lass stepped out from the center of the group, the crowd still staring at her. "I'll show you all one more time. Dustox, let's go!" She threw a Poke Ball in the air, allowing it to burst open and for a Pokemon to come out. A purple moth like Pokemon appeared, its green wings with red circles causing it to flutter in place. It had yellow antennae and eyes, which seemed to focus on May as soon as it got the chance. "Huh?" The Lass turned and looked at the table the other two Trainers were sitting. "Well, if it isn't the Johto girl."

"Tiana," May said, getting up from her seat. "I see you have a Dustox to match your toxic personality."

"Oh jeez," Brendan said, adjusting his hat.

Tiana rolled her eyes. "At least I got _my_ Pokemon to evolve. I'm assuming that you're useless little Wurmple is still disobeying?"

"I…" May began, but had nothing to say.

The girl laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me. It's a shame…you'd think someone whose father is a Gym Leader would be a bit better."

"Oh no," Brendan muttered.

"At least I have a father," May spat, blurting the first thing that came to her mind. Her expression remained stoic, but on the inside her mind froze. She knew nothing about this girl's family. This would either end embarrassingly for her or be a hit extremely far below the belt.

The crowd gasped. The Lass was caught off guard for a second, but quickly recovered. "I live in a mansion in Lilycove. I have my mom and plenty of servants. I don't _need_ my dad for company. Besides, even if mine was around, he'd still give me more attention than yours has to you."

Brendan suddenly stood up from the table. "Whoa! You can't just say that!"

"Oh, shut your trap, Birch," Tiana said, moving her hair back with the flick of a hand. "Shouldn't you be stuck out on Route 101 saving _your_ dad from a dog?" She sighed. "But, again. Still a better relationship than whatever the hell May has with _her _father."

"You know nothing about my family!" May yelled angrily. She felt her face reddening with anger towards the other girl, her hand curling in to a fist at her side. It took all of her energy to hold it back.

"Are you kidding?" she scoffed. "EVERYONE in that place full of hicks knows about your family. When there's news about a new Gym Leader stuff spreads like wild fire. People just know things. Like how in order to become a Gym Leader he ditched you and your pathetic mother to—"

May didn't let her finish the sentence. She swung her fist in Tiana's direction, causing the other Trainer to fall to the ground. "Don't you _ever_ insult my mother," May said angrily, trying to escape Brendan's grip. "At least mine was decent enough to teach some respect. If you're mother's anything like you, she's a total bit—"

"May, stop it!" Brendan said, tightening his grip.

"Security, come here to the lobby, please," Nurse Joy said worriedly from her desk, speaking in to a walky-talky. "There's a fight going on and it's not exactly a Pokemon battle."

Tiana rubbed her cheek, grinning at May. "Good luck punching your way out of this one."

May only glared at her as a police officer and a Machoke approached her, both with badges. The officer was slightly roundish, wearing a completely black uniform and a black police cap. The Pokemon removed her from Brendan's grip, allowing its Trainer to cuff her behind her back. "You're in a lot of trouble, miss."

"It was worth it," she said in an angry tone.

"May!" Brendan exclaimed.

"I want complete silence in this building!" the officer yelled. "Let's go." He led May out of the building, her head still held high.

All Brendan could do was stare in shock. In a matter of minutes she had gone from getting her cherry tomatoes stolen from Sora to being taken away in handcuffs by a police officer.

Tiana laughed, getting up off the floor. "What are you going to do—ow! Stop that you filthy bird!" Sora had jumped on her shoulder, and, in complete anger, began pecking at her head as hard as it could.

"Stop it, Sora," Brendan said firmly. He took out its Poke Ball, causing it to return. The damage had already been done, however, and the Lass's hair looked like a crow's nest.

"Look at what your stupid Pokemon did!" she shouted, but the only people to hear her was the crowd behind her. Brendan and Ventus had already ran out the door.

…

As the May and the officer walked toward the edge of the city, May did the best she could to hide her panic. This was really, really, _bad._ Tiana was right. Word spread fast, and being the Gym Leader's daughter didn't help. Everyone would know what she did. Two days in to her journey and she had already been cuffed. This was how she was going to be remembered. Not for becoming Champion or just being a great Trainer, but for punching some girl in the face.

She felt her stomach flip. What would her mother think? And Professor Birch? And worst of all, her father…any chance of earning his respect was gone now. Not only had she stained her own reputation, but her father's as well.

"All right, you're free to go," the officer said. The two had reached the gates that May and Brendan had entered through, at the very edge of Route 104. As soon as she was uncuffed, he closed the gates of the city right in front of her.

"Go where?" May asked, rubbing her wrists.

He shrugged. "Home. Another city. Heck, you can even go to another region for all I care. You just can't come back in to Rustboro."

"For how long?"

"Well, forever," he replied.

"What?!" May exclaimed. "All I did was punch her! She didn't even get that hurt! Hell, she was _smiling_ when you and your Machoke cuffed me! Shouldn't there be a trial or—"

He shook his head. "There's no point."

"Of course there is! I just—"

"I don't make up the rules, miss," he said, adjusting his hat. "I hope you have a goodnight." He then turned and walked away, his Machoke following suit.

May sighed, leaning her back against the black fence. She sunk the ground, resting her arms on her knees. "No point," she mumbled angrily. "Of course there's a point! It didn't even hurt her…that much." Now that she thought about it, she really had left a red mark on Tiana's face, despite the girl smiling at her anger. "Ugh…I messed up…"

"You betcha."

She looked up to see Brendan staring down at her, leaning against the fence. "You don't need to rub it in," she groaned, staring at the pond further down the route. He didn't need to know about how she was feeling. "But I still don't regret it."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't need to hide it, May. We both know you wish it never happened."

She sighed. Despite only knowing each other for three days, he read her all too well. "Well, it did happen. So what do I do now, Brendan? With that many witnesses, the entire Hoenn region is going to know about it in like three hours."

He shrugged. "Well, it could've gone worse. If I wasn't—" he stopped himself. _If I wasn't there to stop you, who knows what would've happened. _Not what May needed to hear at the moment. "You didn't seem to hurt her too badly, anyway. And there are worse punishments. They could've revoked your Trainer license." Ventus suddenly climbed up over his shoulder, jumping over the fence and on to May's.

"I guess that's true," she said with a weak smile. "But it still doesn't help our current situation. I have to be able to clear my name in some way…"

Brendan's BuzzNav suddenly began ringing. "It says it's an important news update." He pressed a button, allowing an image of a woman with brown hair and a microphone to appear on the screen.

"_Good evening TV Mauville, this is reporter Gabby with an important announcement. A mere twenty minutes ago a newly licensed Trainer, May from Littleroot, was caught on tape by a security camera and eye witnesses punching a Lass in the face right after an intense argument. She has since been banned from reentering Rustboro. Gym Leader Norman, aka May's father, has refused to comment on the situation. We were also unable to contact Professor Birch, the one who licensed this unruly Trainer, as he was busy pulling his assistant out of a horde of Poochyena's grasp. I'm Gabby, and this has been an important news update. Have a nice evening." _The hologram then disappeared without another word.

_Refused to comment on the situation._ The words echoed in May's mind. He knew. And the fact that she had no idea what he was thinking made it even worse. She kept this to herself, however. "Is that seriously all this region has to report on?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, apparently there's some organized crime going on around Mt. Moon in Kanto. But as for here, not really. At least we know Harold made it home and is still screwing up everything." Brendan said, closing his PokeNav. "Are you okay?"

"I have to redeem myself somehow," she said, deep in thought. "But how?"

"Don't do anything crazy," Brendan warned. "Look what happened last time."

She rolled her eyes. "You clearly don't know what crazy is."

"You punched someone in—"

A loud yell from the distance cut him off, clearly coming from the other side of the city. "Come back! You can't steal those parts!"

"Shut your mouth or the Wingull gets it!" another voice yelled, much gruffer than the first.

"I don't even know where that Wingull came from!" the first voice shouted.

"How is no one in this entire city hearing this?" Brendan asked.

May didn't answer. That second voice was the same as the Team Aqua Grunt's in Petalburg Woods. "That's what they're doing in Rustboro!" She turned to Brendan. "Do you have an extra pair of clothes?"

"Yes...?" he answered suspiciously.

"Can I use it?"

"Why?"

"I'm redeeming myself," she said, standing up. _And stopping that Aqua Grunt,_ she added silently. "If I'm wearing your clothes, I can sneak in to the city and save that guy!"

Brendan shook his head. "There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan…"

"What other choice do I have? And don't actually answer that question," she added as soon as he began to open his month. "Now give."

He sighed, pulling an extra outfit out of his bag. "I hope this works out for both of our sakes, May."

"It has to," she said, taking the clothes. She ran off to the western edge of Route 104, changing behind the trees that aligned the edges. Brendan's clothes were a bit loose on her, but it helped conceal her figure enough to help her look like a guy. Within minutes she was dressed in black capris, an orange shirt, and green and white sneakers. "How do I look?" she asked, walking over to him.

"Good…for once," Brendan said with a grin. May only rolled her eyes. "But you're missing the final touch." He took off his beloved white hat, placing it on her head. He brushed a lock of her hair under it. "There."

May felt her face flush red, but did her best to completely hide it. "Thanks," she said emotionlessly.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You know, nobody's gonna believe that you're me with that girly voice of yours."

"You already sound like a girl, Brendan."

"You know what I mean," he replied, letting the burn slide. "Maybe it's best if you don't talk at all while you're out there. Now do you want me to follow you for backup?"

She shook her head. "No. Someone would see you and know that I'm just in disguise. _You_ need to hide."

He nodded. "Got it." He offered his hand to help her climb over the fence, but she denied it and did it herself. "Good luck." He then ran off towards the edge of the city, hiding himself behind buildings.

May took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Okay. Let's do this."

**Chapter 6's done! Yay! And this is what happens when you stay up until at least one in the morning every night with Gold the Fox on Skype. Great guy, you guys should go check out his stuff if you like Sanic. This chapter definitely strays from the normal gameplay, but as you can see by the end of the chapter it starts to get back on track. Just another way I thought I'd change up the story a bit, so tell me what you guys think! And as for QOTW: As most of you are probably unaware since I just started writing for Pokemon a couple of months ago, on August 8****th****, it'll be my second anniversary here on FanFiction! I've been on this crazy site for two years and I've made so many great friends. So I'll probably be posting something here, AND on YouTube (which you should totally subscribe to because I'm awesome). Which is where you guys come in. For QOTW, I'd like you guys to list 5 to 10 questions you guys want me to answer, and I'll answer them in a video and post them to my channel. It can be about anything: my writing, YouTube, my favorite video games and TV shows, the kind of shampoo I use, LITERALLY ANYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE YOU CAN THINK OF and I'll answer it. All that I ask is you guys check the reviews already left for this chapter so we can avoid duplicate questions. Be creative! That's all! Make sure to REVIEW! Smell ya!**


	7. In Disguise

Chapter Seven: In Disguise

**What's going on my lovely little twat muffins, IcyAngels here, and I'm back for my anniversary! Yay! Thank you all so much for your questions. A YouTube video answering them will be going up today (link to my channel should be somewhere on my profile). Anyway, let's get to the reviews!**

**Matthew Garner: Glad you had fun at Taekwondo camp! And thanks for the questions and the review :D**

**Martyn: First off, thanks for the review! And sorry that I couldn't work your idea in to the chapter, maybe some other time!**

**ZIAH THE HEDGEHOG: Thanks :D Can't believe I've been here for so long lol. And thanks for the questions and the review!**

**Gabiola652: NO RAGRETS. NOT EVEN ONE LETTER. Thanks for the questions and reviews!**

**The Legendary Falcon Fall: Thanks for the review! Roasted Pokemon. That'd be interesting.**

**UpbeatButNegative: I'm telling you man, your reviews never disappoint. Just the fact that someone would take time out of their day to write a review that long makes me eternally grateful. And don't worry lol. The shirt was short-sleeved. Whoever wears a sweater in Hoenn is delusional. And I'm hoping for many more years to come on this site! And of course, thanks for the review and questions!**

**PokeshippingFAB: This is your first non Pokeshipping story? Glad to hear! You should go check out some other stories on the site as well lol. They're all awesome. Thanks for the review!**

**Pokerox27: You have been here for a while lol. Thanks for sticking around all this time! My YouTube channel's link should be on my profile somewhere near the bottom. Thanks for the questions and the review!**

**All right, let's get on with the chapter. Thanks again guys!**

Hiding in the shadows of every building and tree, May slowly made her way across the city. Moving around in Brendan's clothes was harder than she initially thought: His shoes were at least two sizes larger than hers, and she was having trouble keeping his capris on. Nevertheless, she didn't let anyone see her.

"No! Come back with those parts! Oh, my boss is going to kill me…" The man was in his forties and clearly a researcher, wearing a lab coat and glasses. He stared at the path towards Route 116, his clipboard clutched in his hands. May walked up to the man from behind and tapped his shoulder, making him jump a little. "Oh, it's just a Trainer. Say…you look familiar. Anyway, you've got to help me! A thief just ran away with those goods for Devon! I think he's headed off to Rusturf Tunnel…"

She nodded, then ran off down the route. "I can't believe he recognized me," she whispered to herself. "Does _everybody_ watch those stupid news updates?!" After a few minutes of running, May reached the edge of the route. It seemed like a dead end, the only thing there being a small entrance to a tunnel. A familiar old man stood next to it, leaning on his walking stick. He turned and looked at May, squinting at her outfit. "So you _are_ dating that young lad you were with near my cottage!" Mr. Briney exclaimed. "These youngsters these days…wearing each other's clothes…"

"I'm _not_ dating him!" May exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth. Oops.

"Don't worry, missy. I won't tell anyone about your disguise…or your relationship with that boy," he added with a chuckle.

"I'm not—"

Mr. Briney stopped her. "Now don't get your fella's knickers in a twist. Just be a dear and get Peeko out of that cave, won't you? A man in strange clothes ran off with her and some package."

"That's the plan," May said, heading in to the tunnel.

"Good luck, lassie!" Mr. Briney called. "And good luck with your boyfriend as well!"

She rolled her eyes, disappearing deep in to the tunnel. Feeling her way around, she walked/stumbled through the cave, hearing the faint cries and scuttles of Pokemon.

"Hey! No kids in here!" a voice said from down the tunnel. Its owner walked towards her, squinting at her through the darkness. It was the same Aqua Grunt from Petalburg Woods. He laughed. "So you're a Trainer! What, are you gonna stop me? Come and get some then!" He ran further down the tunnel, May right on his heels. He eventually stopped, coming to a pile of rocks that were impenetrable.

May stood behind him, her hands ready to reach for her Poke Balls at any second. The Grunt kicked the pile of rocks angrily, then looked at the Wingull. "Keelhaul it all!" he yelled. "This hostage Pokemon is worthless! I thought I actually made a getaway…" he turned and looked at May. "I'm just gonna have to take my anger out on you!" He threw a Poke Ball in her direction, the same Poochyena from Petalburg Woods popping out.

She reached for one of her Poke Balls and threw it. "Pri—" she suddenly stopped, covering her mouth with her hand as Ventus popped out and on to the tunnel floor. The realization suddenly hit her:

How could she shout commands without revealing her disguise?

Ventus turned and looked at her, waiting to be told what to do. She shrugged, then gestured toward the Poochyena. "Go for it," she mouthed.

"Not a talker, huh?" the Grunt asked. "That'll make this much easier. Use Howl!"

A rumbling sound started in the Poochyena's throat, then erupted in to a howl. It was as loud as a truck, causing the two Trainers and Ventus to cover their ears. The Pokemon inside the cave hid in fear as rocks on the ceiling began to fall, almost hitting Ventus. He scaled a side of the wall and looked back at May. It was still waiting for a command.

She took in a deep breath, then let it out. They both knew trying to fight the Grunt without being in sync would be impossible. Ventus could hit hard and fast by itself, but only to the best of its ability when May helped it use the environment to their advantage. Maybe she could use commands with body language instead…

She suddenly made a pounding motion with her hands, slamming a fist down on an open palm. Ventus seemed to get the message, its tail lighting up as it jumped from the rock it was on. It landed square on the Poochyena's face, scoring major damage. May grinned. Maybe there was a way to do this.

The Aqua grunt growled. "Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on you as well. Poochyena, use Bite before it can get away!"

Without even thinking, May quickly stepped back, causing Ventus to do the same. It dodged the attack, easily avoiding damage. May stuck one hand out, palm facing up and open, then closed it and quickly brought it near her chest. The Treecko nodded, its tail becoming a soft green. Slamming it down on the opponent, it used Absorb and sucked the energy out of it.

"We're hit again!" the grunt shouted. "If it's just going to keep dodging, use Howl so we'll hit it harder when we get the chance!"

As another Howl erupted from the Poochyena's throat, May looked at her Pokemon and covered her eyes. It understood, surprisingly, and hid itself in one of the dark corners of the cave.

"Use Odor Sleuth and sniff it out!" the Aqua member shouted. The Pokemon began sniffing the ground intensely, as it desperately looked for the Treecko's scent.

May looked over to the area where Ventus was hidden, hoping it could see her. She made a motion similar to Absorb's, but with both hands instead. As soon as the Poochyena came near its hiding spot, Ventus jumped in to sight, wrapping its tail around it and scoring major damage with Mega Drain. She grinned. Ventus could see her after all.

"That's it!" he shouted. "Poochyena, use Sand Attack to get it away from you!" Trying to wriggle its way out, the dog-like Pokemon stomped and kicked at the ground, flinging tons of sand in to its eyes. Ventus was forced to let go, allowing the Poochyena to escape. "Now use Bite while you have the chance!" As the Treecko was trying to rub the sand out of its eyes, the Pokemon bit down on its neck, tackling it to the ground.

May made a quick swiping motion with her arm towards the ceiling.

"No more commands!" the grunt shouted. "Bite down harder, then throw it against the wall!" The Poochyena did exactly as told, knocking Ventus against the nearest rocky surface. As the Treecko tried to stand up, a rock from the ceiling fell, crushing it and knocking it out.

May let out a little squeak before quickly covering her mouth as she returned it to its Poke Ball.

The Aqua grunt laughed. "What are you going to do now, chatterbox? Battle yourself?"

May bit her lip. She did have one more Pokemon, but would it be worth it? _Please listen this one time._ She reached for the Poke Ball, taking a deep breath. A pink bug-like Pokemon jumped out. It looked back at May, doing a double take. Why was this boy using her in battle?

The other Trainer laughed again. "It's just a Wurmple? Where's your pride, kid?"

Before May could even move. Pink opened its mouth, shooting a white string at the ceiling, and used it to swing across the battlefield and behind the Poochyena. Not allowing it to make a move, its tail began glowing with purple liquid. It quickly jumped in the air, slamming it down on the Poochyena's back. Enduring the attack, the opposing Pokemon grabbed on to it, sinking its teeth in.

"Perfect!" the grunt shouted. "Poochyena, use Bite." The Poochyena tightened its jaws, borderline crushing it. May could only watch as Pink bit back with Bug Bite. Although it was super effective, it was still losing the fight. The Poochyena attempted to throw it against the wall, but Pink was holding on with String Shot. The Wurmple suddenly let go of the String Shot and latched on to the wall.

"What is it doing now?!" the grunt exclaimed. As if in reply, Pink sprung off the wall and slammed in to the Poochyena with Tackle. They both crashed in to one of the walls, causing parts of it to crumble. A few seconds later the entire tunnel began shaking, rocks falling from the ceiling. Small pink Pokemon began running out of the cave in panic as bigger rocks started to fall more quickly, threatening to crush everyone on the field.

"I'm not sticking around here!" he yelled. "Poochyena, return!" The Pokemon returned to its Poke Ball. "And the boss said this would be an easy job to pull…" He looked at May. "Take the goods and that useless Wingull! I'm leaving!" He then ran towards the exit, but it had already been blocked off by falling rock. "Shoot!"

"Pink!" May yelled, dropping the act. She took out its Poke Ball and attempted to return it, but a falling rock deflected the red beam. It was gradually being surrounded by them, becoming trapped. May climbed through the rocks as fast as she could, but it was too late. One of the biggest rocks on the ceiling landed on it, completely crushing it. She screamed, desperately trying to lift the rock, and was finally able to when a rush of adrenaline went through her. She picked up the limp Wurmple and held it close, running to the exit. "Let's go!" she yelled to the Wingull, still at the other side of the cave. It squawked, picking up the package and flying to her side. She turned to the Aqua Grunt. "Start moving the rocks!" she yelled.

"You're a girl?!" he exclaimed.

"Do you want to live or not?!" she shouted. "Start moving the goddamn rocks and let's go!" The two quickly went to work, moving boulders and stones away from the exit. She looked down at Pink, who had been knocked out cold. _Please be okay._

…

Outside of the cave, Brendan, Mr. Briney, and the police officer from before were desperately trying to move rocks from the exit. While catching Pokemon on Route 116, Brendan had heard rumbling noises coming from the inside of the tunnel. "We need to move faster!" he shouted, he and Sora shoving a giant rock out of the way. The officer and his Machoke began rolling a boulder from the area while Mr. Briney beat at weaker rocks with his walking stick. After what felt like hours, a hand popped through the opening from the other side. "May!" Brendan yelled. He grabbed her hand, and with the movement of a few more rocks, pulled her out of the cave. "Thank God you're okay," he said, pulling her in to a hug.

"Pink," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. She looked down at the Wurmple. "It's hurt."

"Peeko!" Mr. Briney exclaimed. He hugged his beloved Wingull, then took the package it had and handed it to Brendan. "I believe this is for you two."

"No!" the Aqua grunt shouted, climbing out of the tunnel. "It's mine!" The officer stood behind him, putting handcuffs on his wrists. "We heard there was trouble with you grunts in the area…"

"Grunts?" Brendan asked.

May shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

The officer looked at May and Brendan. "We'll straighten this out later. For now, get that Wurmple to a Pokemon Center."

"Right," she said. "Let's go, Brendan."

…

A few minutes later the two burst in through the doors of the Center, all eyes on them. Not caring, May ran up to the front desk. "We need help. It's an emergency."

"You're not supposed to be here in Rust—"

"You're not supposed to turn down any sick patients!" she snapped. "My Wurmple is dying and my Treecko is pretty hurt too…"

The Nurse nodded. "Chansey, rush both of these Pokemon to the Emergency Room!" A pink and white egg-shaped Pokemon burst through the doors behind her with a stretcher, allowing May to place Pink and Ventus' Poke Ball on it. It ran back through the doors, Nurse Joy following.

May took in a deep breath, then let it out, trying to calm herself down. She took off Brendan's hat and handed it back to him. "Sorry that it's kind of dirty," she said.

"It's fine," he replied, putting it back on. "So now what are you going to do?"

She sighed. "Right now I'm going to go take a shower. And after that…I don't know. I'll be back in ten minutes, okay?" She then walked up the staircase next to them, eventually disappearing.

Brendan turned to see the entirety of the building staring at him. "What?" he snapped. "You people act like you've never seen another human being before!" Avoiding their looks, he took a seat in a booth near the corner of the Pokemon Center. He stared out the window, watching the sun set over the horizon. It was the first time during the entire day he had a chance to process everything. To think the day started with watching Wally leave for Verdanturf and was ending with May's Pokemon in the ER.

He sighed. How much trouble would he be in for helping May sneak back in to Rustboro? His father had sent him to keep May on the right track, and he was doing an awful job so far. She had gotten kicked out of Rustboro and now that everyone knew the truth, he probably would be too. Yet on the other hand, they had helped catch that criminal…

"I'm back," May said, in her usual outfit again. "Here's your clothes." She handed them over, then sat across from him. "I can't believe I let that happen to my Pokemon…" she said, covering her face with her hands.

"Are they letting you see them yet?" Brendan asked quietly.

She shook her head. "Not until tomorrow. Sorry for dragging you in to this, by the way."

"It's fine," he said, then smiled a little. "What's a journey without a little excitement, right?"

She smiled half-heartedly. "I guess you're right. She looked out the window, deep in thought. Although Ventus had merely been knocked out, Pink was an entirely different story. It had been completely crushed by that boulder, and it had been at least five times the Pokemon's size. If she had been faster, she could've saved it. Now whatever tiny bit of trust it could've possibly had for her was gone. And after today, there was absolutely no way she was getting it back. Maybe if she hadn't punched Tiana in the face, none of this would've happened. She wouldn't have had to waste time changing in to Brendan's clothes or sneaking around the city. She could've just ran after the grunt straight away and stopped him at Route 116. It could've ended right there. No collapsing tunnel. No crushed Pokemon.

"What happened, happened, May," Brendan said, as if reading her mind. "You can't change it."

"I know," she replied. "And I hate that I can't stop thinking about it."

"Maybe we should turn in early then," he suggested. "You've got Pokemon here, so they should've saved a room for us."

She nodded. "You're right." The two got up from their seats and across the room, people in the building still staring at them. With a heavy heart, she followed Brendan up the stairs, ready for the day to be over.

…

May opened her eyes and looked at the digital clock. 6 AM. She sat up in bed, pushing the sheets off of her. She hadn't slept well at all last night. Spending most of the night tossing and turning in guilt hadn't been ideal, but she accepted it anyway. Brendan, on the other hand, had offered to sleep on the floor and was still sound asleep. Getting out of bed, she got dressed, brushed her teeth, did her hair, and grabbed a left over Oran Berry from her bag. She then headed downstairs. Luckily there weren't as many people there to stare at her this time. She stood at the front desk, looking at Nurse Joy.

"I'm guessing you want to see your Pokemon?" she asked.

She nodded, following the nurse down the hallway that her Pokemon had gone down on a stretcher the day before. The two entered a room with two hospital beds on it, each with a Poke Ball seated on top. She grabbed the one on the first bed, putting it in May's hand. "Your Treecko seems to have made a full recovery."

Letting a sigh of relief out, May threw the ball in the air. Ventus popped out, landing on her shoulder as she caught the Poke Ball. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, scratching its head. "And I'm sorry I let you get hurt…"

"Your Wurmple on the other hand…"

May felt her stomach flip a little. "What happened?"

"It'll be fine, but until it's completely healed, it needs to stay confined to its Poke Ball. You cannot let it out under any circumstances." She took the second Poke Ball and placed it on May's hands. "And another thing…while we were applying its bandages, it evolved."

She felt a mixture of relief and heartbreak. It was going to be okay. On the other hand, for the first time one of her Pokemon evolved, and she wasn't there for it. The relief managed to outweigh that feeling for now, however. "Okay, thank you so much. Do you know what it evolved in to?"

"Chansey and I were very focused on saving it, so we didn't pay attention to the details. Wurmple can evolve in to either Silcoon or Cascoon, then in to Beautifly or Dustox. So you'll find out when it heals," she replied.

"All right," May said, putting the Poke Ball back on her belt. "Thanks again." She walked out of the room, down the hallway, then up the stairs and in to her and Brendan's room. The other Trainer was still fast asleep on the floor. "Hey," she said, nudging his foot with hers. No answer. "Hey," she said a little louder. "BRENDAN, HAROLD SET THE LAB ON FIRE!"

"Again?!" he exclaimed, sitting up. Realizing where he was, he looked up at May, then rolled his eyes. "Was that necessary?"

"Absolutely," she said, sitting down on the bed.

He stood up, stretching. "I see you got your Pokemon back."

"Yup," she said, looking at Ventus on her shoulder.

"What about Pink?" he asked, grabbing his backpack at the foot of the bed. He slung it over his shoulder, pulling two Poke Balls out of the side pocket and clipping them to his belt.

May sighed. "Nurse Joy said it would be fine. I just need to keep it inside of its Poke Ball under all circumstances. She said it evolved too…"

"Really?!" Brendan exclaimed excitedly. "Silcoon or Cascoon?"

"She didn't say," she replied.

He seemed disappointed. "Dang, I was really looking forward to finding out…guess we'll have to wait."

"Exactly," she said, getting off the bed. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs and get breakfast."

…

A few minutes later, the two were downstairs and sitting in the booth from yesterday. May watched in disgust as Brendan poured a half bottle of maple syrup on to his breakfast. "Don't you think that's a little excessive for _one_ pancake?" she asked.

"No," he replied, finally putting the bottle down. He cut a piece out with his fork and put it in his mouth. "And I think you mean to say 'puncake.'"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't even start." She handed Ventus half of one of her strawberry cream cheese bagels, then took a bite out of the other. "So now what do we do? I'm not even supposed to be here. And I thought I was going to get my first badge and everything in this town…"

Brendan shrugged. "I still have this," he pulled the package from yesterday out of his bag. "Mr. Briney said it was for the both of us, but I have a feeling he just didn't know what to do with it…eh. Probably nothing important."

There was a giant gasping sound coming from the other side of the room as a man with glasses and a lab coat rushed over to them. He slammed one hand down on the table, then used the other to point a Brendan. "You!"

"Me?" Brendan asked, his mouthful of pancake.

"You're the one that saved me from the criminal!" the man exclaimed. "You're the one that saved the Devon Goods and that Wingull!"

The Trainer swallowed his breakfast and laughed nervously. "Uh, I think you're looking for someone different…" He pointed to May. "She was the one dealing with the whole Rusturf Tunnel situation."

The man slammed his hand down on the table again, then pointed at May. He squinted at her. "But…you're the one that got kicked out of Rustboro for punching that girl! And more importantly, YOU'RE a girl! It was a boy that went after—"

"I was wearing his clothes," May said, rolling her eyes. "I needed to get in to the city somehow."

"Well, either way, thank you!" he exclaimed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm a researcher at the Devon Corporation."

"Isn't that the business that makes the BuzzNav and all the Poke Balls in Hoenn?" Brendan asked.

The researcher nodded. "That's right! And in thanks for saving me and the Devon Goods, our president would like to have a word with you."

May shook her head, then looked at Brendan. "You can go. I'm not supposed to be here in the city anyway."

"I think the president would want to speak to you regardless," he said before Brendan could respond. "He would want to give credit where credit is due. He and his son do their best to avoid the media's constant gossip anyway."

"Son?" Brendan asked.

The researcher shook his head. "You'll find out in due time. So, can I expect the both of you to come with me?"

"We should go, May!" Brendan said, finishing off his pancake. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

She sighed. "Why not? Lead the way."

**Chapter 7's done! Yay! Damn. I can't believe it's been two years already. You guys, my Sonic fans, and all of the twat muffins scattered across the internet are awesome. You guys are the reason why I keep going, and you'll never realize how thankful I am. Every favorite, follow, review, like, comment, and subscription means more than you can ever imagine. Now before we get to Q of the Week, I have a couple of announcements, both involving YouTube.**

**Firstly, I've noticed a lot of you guys love Phineas and Ferb lol. Well I have a friend on YouTube, and his name is Le Tuan. He had this thing called Phineas and Ferb month where he made videos on the top five worst episodes, the top ten songs, a review of the last episode, and a two part video with the top 15 episodes. But unfortunately, because of copyright issues (which were definitely minor compared to other uploaders who just upload entire episodes with little to no editing done) and his channel was deleted. Now he's moved to his second channel, but he's lost almost all of his subscribers. So what I'm asking you guys to do is check out his channel and leave a like or a comment, maybe even subscribe. He needs it! I uploaded a video called "Helping a Friend, an Update Type Thingy" and there should be a link to his channel in the description and an annotation at the end of the video. Go check it out!**

**Secondly, if nothing comes up, Gold the Fox and I will be having a podcast/stream on my channel tonight. Again, link to my channel on my profile. Subscribe and you'll be notified! We'll probably go live around 8 or 9 pm EST. Be sure to stop by and say hi!**

**Okay, so QOTW: I've been here for two years now, so my question is, what do you want to see from me in the next two years? Any specific fandoms? Do you want me to continue any series or finish any (inb4 people are like ZOMG ICY FINISH 7 WORLDS OR I'LL PETCH YOU :P)? Tell me in the reviews! And as always, make sure to review! Smell ya later!**


	8. A Rocky Start

Chapter Eight: A Rocky Start

**Hey guys, IcyAngels here, and I first off, I feel the need to formally apologize. The last time I updated this series was over four months ago, and since then, I have disappeared off the face of the planet. There has been no activity on my Facebook, YouTube, or FanFiction profiles since then and I feel like I've done you guys a great disservice. Ffs, I didn't even wish you guys a Merry Christmas or anything! You guys are loyal and have stuck by me through thick and thin, even when I take forever to update. And now here we are, New Year's Eve, less than an hour until that New York City ball drops, and I'm back. Yes, I have been busy with school, being in things like Drama, QuizBowl, Key Club, etc. which do take up a fair amount of my time, but it still doesn't excuse not updating for over four months. So again, I apologize, and I understand if many people are no longer following the story because of it. But nevertheless, let's get to the reviews from such a long time ago!**

**The Legendary Falcon Fall: Ah, yes, Harold. Thanks for the review!**

**Pokerox27: Yeah, a second TD season would be pretty hard for me lol. That series was a lot of fun and I don't regret doing it, but I think it completely sucked my creativity dry, which might be one of the reasons why I procrastinate on writing so much. And a Harry Potter story would be interesting. I might consider doing one once I get back in to my writing mojo. Thanks for the review!**

**ZIAH THE HEDGEHOG: Thanks for the review! Doing whatever I want is usually what I do anyway lol.**

**Martyn: Thanks for the suggestions!**

**Matthew Garner: Trust me, I don't like waiting either lol. Unfortunately I keep people waiting a lot though :/ But thanks for the review!**

** UpbeatButNegative: Ah, Upbeat, aren't your reviews a sight for sore eyes! And yes, I did draw some inspiration from what Red would do for the silent scene lol. It's a different twist on writing battle scenes. And yeah, sorry about the typos/grammar issues lol. I try to keep those to a minimum. And about the realism, that is one of the things I enjoy about fanfiction. The anime and the games tend to show the Pokemon world as an easy thing to live in, when in fact it would not be that simple. Thanks again for the review!**

** Gabiola652: Oh yeah, all of you guys in the Petches chat think I'm dead lol…don't tell the others I'm alive though. It can be our little secret ;) Thanks for the compliments and the review!**

**TheArtSmartQueen: Yeah, a lot of people want me to finish Seven Worlds lol…I might get around to it eventually. Thanks for the review!**

** Crepo the Porcupine: Thanks for the review!**

** Glimpse the Hedgehog: Petch…you're a bucket of AIDS. Go work the corner more so you can pay them college debts :P**

** FlygonNick: Sorry you don't like the Kingdom Hearts names lol. But your second thing is explained a bit better in this chapter. Glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the review!**

** Kirbysage18: Shoot, you think I'm dead too…don't tell the others that I live ;)**

** Gen 3 fan: Crap. I don't remember who did this one…gonna blame it on Gold.**

** PokeshippingFAB: Glad you read more adventure stories! Hope you've been reading a lot of good ones lately. Thanks for the review!**

**Again, sorry for not updating for so long, guys. But thanks for the reviews!**

"There it is," the researcher said. "The Devon Corporation."

May once again stared at the large building that loomed in front of them. It was easily the biggest building in Rustboro with three floors, the outside separated into two halves by a large, marble beam. She felt her stomach flip; the high maintenance nature of the area made her feel uneasy after the events of yesterday.

Brendan, on the other hand, seemed to have a different idea. "Cool," he whispered.

They headed in to the building, the researcher explaining the various floors. May found herself wrapped in her thoughts again. What could the President possibly want from her? All she had done was save a researcher from an Aqua Grunt, a criminal that apparently none of the town knew about because they were too involved with the latest gossip. What could he possibly give to help her in her current situation?

The researcher spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts. "And here's our third floor, where the president is." The group walked over to a room at the very end of the hall, a mahogany door cracked open just a bit. He knocked on it. "Mr. Stone, the, uh…_Trainer_ that saved the Devon Gods is here to see you."

"Well, let them in, then," a deep voice said from the other side of the door. As May walked in in front of Brendan, she noticed one primary factor: minerals. And a lot of them. Rocks from different places were everywhere, sitting in display cases, on shelves, even the president's desk. The president himself was sitting at the desk, his light blue steel hair smoothed back in to an octagon shape. He was in his 50s, his face carved from old age. His indigo business suit matched his pants. He smiled and looked at Brendan. "So, I hear that you saved my assistant from an Aqua Grunt!"

"Um, actually, that would be her," Brendan said. He pointed to May, whose face automatically turned red. "She dressed up as me and snuck back in to the city."

The president raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "It seems like everyone wants to sneak around in a disguise these days."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed it. "Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about my son. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Joseph Stone, the president of the Devon Corporation. And in order to thank you both for saving my assistant, I'd like to give you both these." He pulled two black cases out of his desk and handed on to each of them. May opened, it, revealing eight empty slots with different shapes. "Those are Gym Badge cases," he explained. "It's essential for any Trainer that wants to make it to the top."

May looked at the first empty slot, which was shaped like two arrows facing in opposite directions. "But how can I get my first badge if I'm not even supposed to be in Rustboro?"

The president pressed a button on a device on his desk, activating the intercom. "Sally, get the head of the Rustboro Police Department on the line, please. I'd like to see if I can get them to 'unbanish' someone from this town."

"How are you going to do that?" Brendan asked.

Mr. Stone laughed. "The power of business, of course! They wouldn't say no to the president of the biggest company in Hoenn. I can convince them that you're innocent, if you're all right with it, May."

She stood in thought for a moment. If it worked, she would be able to get her badge in Rustboro City and continue on with her journey as planned. But at the same time, her conscience screamed against it. She would be getting help from someone, something she despised with a passion. And the people of Rustboro wouldn't react well either. They would think she had gotten away with it because she was Norman's daughter, another thing she would hate being accused of. "…No," she finally said.

"No?" the president repeated.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't want help," she continued. "Before I was worried because I'm not supposed to be here, but now that I think about it, I don't really care. I'm going to go in to the Rustboro City Gym, and I'm not leaving until I get my badge."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you really want to do this?"

She nodded, then suddenly went quiet. What would her father say about her not listening to the police? If anything, it would hurt their family's reputation even more. But then again, if she wanted to prove herself to her father she would need to get Gym Badges so she could challenge him… "Yeah, I'm sure."

"All right, then," Mr. Stone said. "Never mind, Sally," he spoke in to the intercom. He turned it off, then looked back and Brendan and May. "Well, if you're going to keep getting badges, I'd like to ask you both to deliver something for me."

"Sure," May said. "What is it?"

He took two things out from under his desk. The first was a small, white envelope, the edges with light blue lace designs. The second was a small, yet heavy brown package. "I need you to deliver the letter to a man in Dewford named Steven. It's extremely personal, so it's important that it gets to him. The package needs to be delivered to Captain Stern in Slateport City. Can I trust you two with this?"

They both nodded, May taking the letter and Brendan struggling with the box. "We'll deliver them," she replied.

"Great!" Mr. Stone exclaimed. "And good luck getting in to the Rustboro Gym! You'll need it…"

"Thanks, I guess," May said under her breath. "Let's go, Brendan."

"Coming," he grunted, trying to hold the box up.

With a wave, the two left the president's office and took the elevator, allowing Brendan to put the box down for a few minutes. "May, this is a terrible idea. You're not going to be able to walk across the street without someone seeing you. And when you get in to the Gym…"

"I don't have any other choice, Brendan," she said, pressing the 'F1' button on the elevator's panel.

"Yes you did!" Brendan exclaimed. "You could've taken Mr. Stone's offer and just had him get you out of it! Now you'll probably get thrown out of Rustboro again!"

"I'm not going to accept help from anyone," she said stubbornly. "Especially someone with a big name like him. The last thing I need is people saying I get away with stuff just because I'm Norman's daughter."

Brendan kicked the box in frustration, stubbing his toe. "Ow! Who cares what people think?!"

"I usually don't," May said as the elevator started to go down. "But this is a big deal. I want to be a successful Trainer and do it _myself._ I don't want to live in Norman's shadow. Think about Brendan. If you were to become a researcher, would you just want to be known as you're the professor's son? Or do you want to be known as Brendan Birch?"

"That's a totally different situation!" he exclaimed as he picked up the box. "Even though my dad's a famous researcher, it's still a family business. Why aren't you and your dad the same way?"

The elevator opened, allowing the two to walk out and in to the lobby. "Because I want to be more than just a Gym Leader," she said, turning to face him. "Look, being one seems like a big deal, but in the grand scheme of everything it really isn't. You're only one peg higher than the Trainers that people have to battle before they can battle you. You have almost no impact on the League's decisions and you're either bored by weak Trainers or stressed about running in to too many strong ones. You know what happens if they lose more than three times in a row? They're stripped of their position. And even if I wanted to be a Gym Leader, it could never be a family thing. We'd be competing against each other for higher rankings. That's not how it should be."

"So what are you trying to accomplish?" he asked. "Are you trying to become Champion? You know if you lose once, it's over. And it's probably a lot more stressful than being a Gym Leader."

She sighed. "I don't necessarily want to become Champion. But if it's what it takes to get my father's respect, it's worth it. Besides, even if I did lose my position, I'd be set for life. Past Champions are still treated with a lot of respect."

"Maybe that's true," Brendan replied. "But you realize what happens if you don't defeat the Rustboro Gym Leader in two tries, right? You aren't allowed to challenge it again. Meaning you can't get in to the League _and_ your reputation would be damaged even more…"

"It's better than doing nothing," she said, then turned towards the exit. "C'mon. I have a Gym Badge to win."

…

Brendan groaned, the weight of the box he was carrying making him feel like his arms were slowly being ripped off. The two walked across the street, trying to avoid stares from the very few people that were out and about. For some reason, the town seemed…quiet. Desolate, even.

"Where is everyone?" May asked, scanning the windows of various buildings. No one seemed to be in any of them. Shops were anything but busy, and anyone that was out seemed to be heading in the same direction they were, just taking a different route.

Brendan shrugged, or attempted to, anyway, but struggled with the heavy box. "Not sure." He gestured to a building a few yards away from them. "That's the Gym, though."

Turning to look at it, May could see that it was surrounded by hundreds of people. They were crowding the windows and doors, trying to get a look inside. A man in overalls was trying to keep the doors locked, presumably Gym Guide Clyde. Gabby and Ty were standing outside of the building, Ty with that dreaded camera and Gabby with her stupid microphone.

"Apparently there's a heated match going on inside the Rustboro City Gym, folks," Gabby said enthusiastically. "Spectators have confirmed that Gym Leader Roxanne is fighting Lass Tiana, the girl who was punched in the face by Gym Leader Norman's daughter just yesterday. She had a following from the Trainer School, but it has definitely grown since yesterday's events. May, on the other hand, was last seen walking in to the Devon Corporation with a researcher and Brendan Birch, the son of the much respected professor from Littleroot. Speaking of which, Brendan was also seen saving Mr. Briney's Wingull and helping catch a Wingull. It keeps us wondering why such a heroic Trainer would keep travelling with someone like May."

"It keeps me wondering why this place doesn't have anything better to report on," May mumbled. The two were now hidden behind a tree near the Gym, avoiding people as much as possible. "Seriously. There's _one_ Gym Battle and the entire town shows up for it."

"So how are you going to get in there?" Brendan asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll wait for people to start leaving before I go in there. Then I can get my Gym badge and we never have to come back to this place again."

"Wait a minute," Brendan said suddenly. "What about _my_ Gym Badge? I got a case too."

"Maybe you should go first, then," she replied. "That gives people more time to leave before anyone sees me. Then we can leave."

Before Brendan could respond, the doors of the Gym opened, forcing people to back away again. A Lass with brown hair stepped out, her eyes closed and her head held high. Both people and the media (meaning Gabby and Ty) began bombarding her with questions. She suddenly smiled, then raised a closed fist in to the air. With the exception of her index finger and thumb, she opened it, revealing a shiny badge underneath. It was the colors of both rust and sand, the colors separated in to different segments of the opposite arrows. The crowd around her cheered as she placed it in to her badge case with a smirk.

"Of course she's trying to get badges too," May growled. She turned to Brendan. "You should go out there now."

He shook his head. "Not a good idea. People will see me and know that you're lurking somewhere."

"You can just lie and say we aren't traveling together anymore," she countered. "If you go now, you can steal her spotlight and knock down that ego of hers. Just be the cocky dork that you are."

"Hey!" Brendan rolled his eyes, then placed the box he had been holding down. "Fine. But this can't end well." He stood up from behind the tree, then weaved his way in to the crowd. The cheers for Tiana gradually died down as he passed people before placing himself in front of the Gym right next to her.

Tiana rolled her eyes. There was now a dull murmur in the crowd, Gabby and Ty quickly making their way up to the two. The Lass turned to Brendan. "What are _you_ doing here? And where's that stupid girlfriend of yours?"

"She's _not_ my girlfriend," he said. "I'm here to challenge the Rustboro Gym. And I bet I can do ten times better than you did."

May nodded from behind the tree. "Good. Now don't make any stupid comments about her being a girl…"

"You probably just scraped by," Brendan said with a smirk. "You are a girl, after all. There's no way you're a good Trainer!"

From her hiding spot, May facepalmed. "Never mind, you naïve idiot…"

There was an uproar of tension in the crowd, multiple women getting upset by his comment. "And Brendan Birch makes a very sexist comment," Gabby said, turning to the camera. "Maybe there is a reason why he's still travelling with May after all."

Tiana scoffed at him, not caring at all. "Keep on thinking that and you'll be stuck with May for the rest of your life. Speaking of her, I bet she's lurking around here somewhere…" She searched through the crowd for her rival. May stiffened from behind the tree, trying to make herself as small as possible. Tiana eventually found her, however, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of her hiding spot. "Found her!"

The entire crowd broke out in anger and confusion, many people yelling. Gabby and Ty rushed over to May, ready to pound her with questions. "May, how does it feel not having your father respond to your actions from yesterday? And how did you get back in to Rustboro City?"

"May!" Brendan yelled, running to her side. He stood in front of the camera, blocking its view. "Will you leave her alone?!"

"Don't try to protect me, Brendan," she said, pushing him out of the way. "Do you want to know how I feel? I feel like this region is bored out of its mind since it sent you two to do news on me! Don't you have dirt to get on other people?!"

"STOP!"

The entire crowd suddenly went silent, turning to face the entrance of the Gym. A girl about the age of 15 stood in the doorway, wearing a brown dress and shoes, her legs covered by pink stockings. Her brown hair was pulled back in to a bow like shape, covered in the back by a jagged, pink bow. She made her way through the crowd, people moving out of the way for her. She addressed Tiana as soon as she reached the three Trainers. "You've already got your badge. Any particular reason why you're still here?"

"She—" Tiana began, but the other girl cut her off.

"I'm not talking about her. I'm talking about you. Now if you're just going to stay here to cause trouble, I'd suggest you leave."

The Lass seemed stunned for a moment, then flicked her hair in annoyance. "Whatever. I didn't want to stay around this deadbeat place, anyway. I hope you lose, May." She then walked away, purposely knocking in to May's shoulder before finally leaving.

Gabby turned to the camera. "Well, it looks like Rustboro's Gym—"

"Shut the camera off," the girl said, then turned to May and Brendan. "Now, I can only take one more challenge today since my Pokemon are getting worn out. Which one of you is it going to be?"

May looked at her rival. Her time in Rustboro was definitely running out. The police would surely show up again at any second, and it was surprising that they hadn't already. Brendan seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"You do it, May," he said. "I can always come back later."

"Good," the other girl stated. "Now let's go in to the Gym." Making her way through the crowd again, she led the two Trainers inside. The crowd broke in to an outrage, again, angered by May's entrance in to the Gym.

"Why are you letting _her _in?!"

"You're a Gym Leader! You're supposed to follow the rules and set an example!"

"What kind of person would let her in to their Gym?!"

"STOP!" she yelled again, shutting the crowd up. "I'm the Gym Leader here. Not you, or you, or you. Me. So, if the police don't want her in my Gym, they can come talk to me about it! Understood?!" She didn't wait for a response. "Let's go." The three of them stepped in to the Gym's foyer, the only one inside being Gym Guy Clyde.

"Media making people stupid, Roxanne?" the man in overalls asked.

She sighed, forcing the doors closed behind her. "As always, Clyde." She smiled and turned to May. "So, a Gym Battle, huh? We can do that."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "You know, that was a pretty strict attitude you had out there."

She shrugged. "I'm the top student at the Pokemon Trainer School and I have to watch over the little kids sometimes. Having that attitude helps, and it works on adults too…" she laughed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Roxanne and I specialize in Rock-type Pokemon. And May…well, I've heard a lot about you. It's probably all exaggerated since Gabby can't always tell it like it is, but, you know. You didn't really punch her in the face, did you?"

"Um…"

Roxanne dismissed it with a wave of a hand. "It's not an issue. Once a Gym Battle starts, the police can't come in and interrupt without one of ours permission."

"I still think getting kicked out of the city is too strong of a punishment," she mumbled under her breath.

The Gym Leader shrugged, pulling down a shade to prevent people from looking in to the Gym. "The Devon Corporation is the biggest company here in Hoenn, so security here is tight. If we were to get robbed, the entire region would go in to debt and Silph Co. in Kanto would get the monopoly over Poke Balls and other things for Trainers. So if they see anyone acting out of line they'll kick them out, even if it's the tiniest thing."

"So if she had punched Tiana in any other city in Hoenn…" Brendan began.

"People would've just been surprised and at the most you would've been escorted out of the building," Roxanne finished. "Oh, and Gabby would be up your butt again."

She rolled her eyes. "But forever? That's still too harsh…"

The Gym Leader shrugged again. "The police here are paranoid about everything. Kicking people out of the city is basically their answer to everything. Anyways, are you ready to battle?"

May looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball, feeling the smooth metal underneath her fingers. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Great! Clyde, open the doors to the spectators in about five minutes."

"Wait, other people will be watching?!" Brendan asked.

"Of course," Roxanne replied. "They always do. Besides, with your reputation, they'd be worried about you stealing it or something."

May rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. But if one of them reports me to the police, they can't stop us if we're already battling, right?"

"Correct. Those are the League rules. Unless there's an emergency, no interruptions are allowed," she assured. "So, shall we go down to the battlefield?"

She nodded. "Let's go."

…

May stood at one end of the battlefield, rubbing her palms in nervousness. The entire Gym was filled with people, and every single one of them was either cheering for Roxanne or booing her. Minus Brendan, of course, who was sitting in a front row seat about ten yards away from where she was. The battlefield was what she expected from a Rock-type Gym, various boulders and stones scattered throughout the area. White spray paint outlined where they would be battling, creating a basketball court pattern. Gym Guy Clyde stood in the referee box, on the outer part of the left side of the field.

"This'll be a two on two match," he shouted, silencing the crowd. "Only the challenger can switch Pokemon. There will be no interruptions to this battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"

"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne shouted. A rock-like Pokemon jumped out of its Poke Ball. It was gray and round, two arms protruding from its sides. Its face had a rock hard expression, as if it was determined to win.

"Pride's on the line, Ventus!" May yelled, throwing her Poke Ball. The Treecko jumped out, landing on one of the many rocks scattered on the field.

"You have the first move," the Gym Leader said.

"Right. Ventus, start out with Quick Attack!"

The wood gecko, launched itself off of the rock, jumping from boulder to boulder to reach the Geodude. It rolled through the battlefield at a surprisingly fast rate, able to dodge Ventus' attacks with ease.

Roxanne grinned. "Geodude's pretty much memorized the battlefield since it's been here for so long. Now use Rock Throw to throw Treecko off!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, large rocks formed in Geodude's palms. It threw them in various areas of the field, causing Ventus to run in to a few. The rock-type hid itself among a few boulders, disguising itself as a regular rock.

"It has to move eventually," May said, gritting her teeth. "Use Absorb to find it!"

Ventus sprang in to action, its tail lighting up with a familiar green energy. It smashed it against all of the rocks in the area, all of which disintegrated. Noticing one of them move ever so slightly, Ventus struck it with its tail, absorbing its energy and causing Geodude to cry out in pain.

"Gotcha!" May shouted. "Now use Mega Drain to finish it off!"

"Use Defense Curl to roll out of the way!" Roxanne yelled.

The Geodude swiftly dodged the attack, causing everyone in the stands to cheer. May gritted her teeth. It was fast for a Rock-type, and combined with its ability to blend in to the battlefield easily, it was extremely hard to hit. "We'll just have to be quicker," she said to herself. "Ventus, go for another Quick Attack, and don't let it dodge!"

Leaping to its feet as soon as the command left May's mouth, the Treecko sped towards the Geodude as fast as possible, landing a solid Quick Attack. The Geodude seemed unscathed, causing everyone in the crowd except Brendan to cheer.

"Between it being not very effective and the Defense Curl, physical attacks aren't going to do anything for it," he said to Sora, who sat on his shoulder. "But that speed might make it difficult for Ventus to use any special attacks…"

"Wonderful job, Geodude!" Roxanne exclaimed. "Now go for a Rock Tomb to slow it down!"

The Geodude nodded, then jumped up on to one of the rocks in the battlefield. Raising its hands, it created multiple large boulders that floated in the air above it. With one huge effort, it flung them all at Ventus at once, crushing it underneath the weight of the rocks.

"Ventus!" May screeched. She ran in to the battlefield, causing Clyde to blow his whistle and for confused murmurs to go throughout the stadium. But May didn't care about either. All she could picture in her mind was Ventus' mangled body crushed by the boulders, just as Pink's was in Rusturf Tunnel.

"May!" Brendan shouted, hopping out from the stadium. "May, Ventus is fine, it just—"

But she wasn't listening, quickly removing the boulders from the pile. "Please be okay, please be okay," she whispered, her voice becoming more panicked with every second that went by. When she finally had removed ever rock, she found Ventus on the ground, a little scratched up but still all right. "It's fine…?"

"The challenger has interfered and moved into the battlefield during the match, therefore Gym Leader Roxanne wins by default!" Clyde shouted. The crowd cheered, celebrating Roxanne's victory and laughing at how May had led herself to her own loss.

"What got in to you?" Brendan asked, kneeling down next to her.

May shook her head, picking up Ventus. "I don't know, but when that Rock Tomb hit, it was exactly like in Rusturf Tunnel when those boulders landed on Pink and it terrified me that another one of my Pokemon was hurt because of me again…"

The crowd's laughter at May was only getting louder and louder, causing Roxanne to step in. "Hey!" she shouted. "The challenger lost. Just because this is a girl you saw on the BuzzNav it doesn't mean you have to be mean spirited about her loss. She's just like any other competitor."

"She shouldn't even be in Rustboro!" one woman shouted from the stands.

"I can't believe a Gym Leader is even allowing this match to happen in the first place!" a man yelled.

Gabby turned to the camera, a microphone in her hand as usual. "And here in Rustboro City, there's an uproar in Roxanne's Gym over May's match. In the middle of the battle, this punching Trainer jumped in without any rhyme or reason. And to make matters worse, the Gym Leader seems to be defending her actions! Things are really heating up no—"

"All right, that's enough," Brendan said, approaching her and Ty. He snatched the microphone out of her hands and looked straight in to the camera. "I am Brendan Birch from Littleroot Town and I say that this TV station has literally nothing important to report on. And I'm also here to challenge Roxanne to a Gym battle tomorrow morning for my own badge and to redeem May's honor—"

"Brendan, what are you doing?!" May yelled from her place on the battlefield. "I don't need you to redeem anything! You're making this entire situation worse by dragging yourself in to this too!"

Gabby snatched the microphone back, shoving Brendan out of the frame. "You heard it here first, folks! Professor Birch's son is going to defend May's honor tomorrow morning right here! We'll be sure to get you all the live footage. This is Gabby, signing off."

Brendan could feel May glaring at him from thirty feet away. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling.

The next 24 hours were going to be rough.

**Okay, it is currently 52 minutes away from 2016, and I still have proofread this thing, so I'll make this short and sweet: QOTW: What is your New Year's Resolution? Mine is to procrastinate less. That was my resolution for last year too, and that epically failed. But maybe this year I can pull my crap together. Tell me in the reviews, and feel free to review in general! Though I can understand if you don't want to due to my absence. Smell ya later and have a Happy New Year (and may it be shiny too)!**


	9. Don't Fight For Me

Chapter Nine: Don't Fight For Me

**What's going on my lovely muffins, IcyAngels here, and…well, it didn't take me four months to update this time! A month is still a pretty long time, but I did update Seven Worlds, so I hope that kinda makes up for it. Plus this chapter is pretty long. Over six thousand words! And since I'm posting this at school during advisory, I don't have time to do a good proofread, so sorry if there are any mistakes. On to the reviews!**

**Gabiola652: Ah yes, friends. They're good to have. Thanks for the review!**

**Crepo the Porcupine: I KNOW RIGHT?! And I'm getting my license this year too! Thanks for the review!**

**Skyla Pearl: Hey, haven't heard from you in a while! First, I wanna say sorry for not reviewing your stuff lately, life has been keeping me busy. And that Key Club comment had me laughing lol. I posted it in our Key Club group on Facebook and people got a kick out of it. And yeah, May's pretty stubborn lol. I think it's a character trait that's deep inside me that kinda just dwells and only takes action when it wants to. I'm usually pretty laid back, but sometimes I'm just…ugh. And yeah. The two strikes method is some idea I got from the Black and White anime. After Ash loses to Lenora Iris says something about him only having one more chance. Or maybe I remembered it wrong. Either way, I always thought it was an interesting concept. Thanks for the review! I always enjoy reading yours :)**

**Matthew: You check to see if I've updated? Awesome! Glad to know someone's that interested. And I hope we can both stick to our resolutions too! Thanks for the review :)**

**UpbeatButNegative: Saving Gods? Jesus ain't even mad XD Glad you respect May's decision. I'd feel like it would be a cop out if she just took it as a way to get out of her punishment and render the entire thing pointless. Plus it does show her determination. And as for the realism, that was exactly what I was going for. I don't think depicting blood and gore necessarily means "more realistic", so adding something like limits is a good way of showing high standards. And glad you like my portrayal of Roxanne! Thanks for the review! I always enjoy reading yours, as I've already told you many times lol.**

**TheArtSmartQueen: I KNOW, I'M ALIIIVE! CAPS FOR THE WIN! THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!**

**PokeshippingFAB: I have always believed in the Peeko. Peeko is love, Peeko is life. Thanks for the review!**

"And stay out," the police officer said, leading May on to Route 104. He shut the gates behind him, then walked away.

May slumped to the ground, leaning her back against the metal bars. After her small breakdown in Roxanne's Gym, the police officer had escorted her out since she was still banned from Rustboro. And now the entire region knew about that battle, and Brendan. _Brendan._

"That idiot," she said, pounding her fist against the bars behind her. "Why would you say you're going to battle Roxanne to defend my honor?! I don't need your help…" She groaned. Deep down, she knew that he was doing it with the best intentions. He was just sticking up for her. But it didn't make her any less angry. Having someone else fight her battles was the exact opposite of what she wanted, and he knew that. She had given him plenty of chances to realize it. It was one of the many conflicting personality traits that they had.

"Hey," a voice said from above her.

She looked up to see Brendan leaning against the gate on the other side, his left hand nervously rubbing one of the bars. He adjusted his hat with the other. "Are you okay?"

"Nope," she replied, staring down at the path that went back to Petalburg Woods.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "You know I did it to stick up for you, May! People were laughing at you and humiliating—"

"All the more reason not to jump in to it and make the situation worse!" she exclaimed, standing up to face him. "Because of people like Gabby and Tiana spreading rumors and making us look bad, people don't like us! Well, some may like you, but they definitely don't like me. I already look stupid because I jumped in to the battlefield for no reason, and now it looks like I need you to defend me! And for you all it did was make you look like either some hero, or, the more likely, crazy or sticking up for the girl that punched an "innocent bystander" in the face!"

"Well I wasn't trying to do either of those!" he shouted.

"You know that, and I know that," May snapped. "But the people in the stands don't know that. The people watching on TV don't know that. Most of the people back in Littleroot don't know that. My dad doesn't know that…"

The other Trainer sighed. "You're not going to get anywhere worrying about what other people think of you, May—"

"And I'm not going to get anywhere by letting other people battle through tough times for me," she interrupted. "We've had this conversation before, Brendan. I don't want to be stuck in anyone else's shadow. Mainly Norman's, but that's beside the point. I need to do things for myself."

He sighed again. "No one gets anywhere doing _everything_ by themselves. Everyone gets a little help from somewhere, no matter how big or small the amount may be. If you do it all on your own, it's going to be a lonely road getting to the top." He fixed his hat, looking her straight in the eye. "But that's just the way I see things. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Gym Battle to prepare for tomorrow." He then walked off, leaving May with her own thoughts.

"Jerk," she muttered, kicking the gate. Why did he have to be so goddamn right all the time? It didn't change her mind at all on the current situation, however. He shouldn't have tried to stick up for her when he knew it was the last thing she would've wanted. But when it came to doing things that shouldn't have been done, she wasn't perfect either. She looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball in her hand, then threw it up in the air. The Treecko popped out of the ball and landed in front of her, displeased. "Ventus," she began. "I—"

Before she could say anything else, the Pokemon jumped in the air, performing a Pound on her head with its tail.

"Ow!" she shouted. "You know, after the battle this morning, I deserve that…I just want to say I'm sorry. For jumping in to the battle when you didn't need my help. I just got scared that you would end up like Pink and I didn't want it to happen to you. I know you don't like losing and this was a really stupid reason to lose. I hope you understand."

Ventus rolled its eyes.

May sighed. "You know, the longer you stay in my team, the more I realize that we have a lot in common. Look, next time we challenge Roxanne, I'm not going to jump into the battle, even if I have to duct tape myself in place, okay? I'm sorry. Forgive me? Please?"

Ventus stared at her for a while, then nodded. It climbed up on to her shoulder, causing the Trainer to smile.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Now let's get some training done!"

…

Brendan sat on a ledge on Route 116, a notebook and pen in his hand. He pressed the clicking end of the pen to his cheek. "If I have Truffle set up with Stun Spore, I'd be able to slow the Geodude down and maybe get a couple of Absorbs off…but then again, it's Truffle's first battle and I don't know if it'd be ready for it…" He shrugged, taking out his Poke Balls. "We'll just have to roll with the punches." He threw the two in the air, causing the Torchic and Shroomish to jump out. "Okay, let's see what we can do. Truffle, start out with using Tackle on Sora. Sora, you try to dodge it."

Well, about five seconds went by and Sora didn't even have to bother trying to dodge because Truffle had fallen flat on its face trying to run towards it. Sora chirped in confusion, then let out a tiny Ember, hitting the Shroomish straight on the head. It squeaked in pain, releasing a small Stun Spore that, well, stunned Sora for a few minutes.

Brendan groaned, slapping his forehead. "We have a lot of work ahead of us…" He looked up at the sky, noticing something circling them high in the air. Like a bullet, it sped down at them and attacked, knocking Sora over. Brendan caught a glimpse of two tiny blue wings and a splash of red. He pulled out his Pokedex. "Taillow," he whispered. "That's the only Pokemon around here that I haven't caught yet…all right Sor—"

Before he could utter another word, Truffle jumped to its feet, glaring fiercely at the bird Pokemon. With a high pitched yell it sprang at the Taillow, landing a solid tackle to knock it to the ground. It countered with a Peck, smashing it pointed beak into the Shroomish.

"All right, if you want to handle it, then you can do it, Truffle!" Brendan shouted. "Go for another Tackle!"

Truffle shook its opponent off, then ran as fast as it could, its tiny legs carrying it. It slammed into the other Pokemon, knocking it against a tree. The Taillow suddenly darted out of the Shroomish's view while cloaked in a white light, striking it from behind.

"That's Quick Attack," Brendan said. "It's just like what Ventus uses! Truffle, go for a Stun Spore to slow it down!" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, a flurry of yellow dust popped out of the top of the Pokemon, covering its wild opponent. The Taillow found itself stuck in place, barely able to move. With a little effort, however, it was able to land another Peck against the mushroom Pokemon, knocking it out.

"Truffle!" Brendan shouted. "Return, you did a good job." The Poke Ball's red beam absorbed it, allowing it to go back inside. "Do you want to pick up from here?" he asked Sora. Or began to ask, anyway, as the fiery chick was already trying to avenge Truffle. It quickly stomped in the dirt, causing a flurry of sand to go in the Taillow's eyes, then attempted to drill its beak in to the Pokemon. The wild bird-like creature backed away from the attacks, then fluttered in to a nearby tree, chirping loudly. Sora chirped back in anger, obviously irritated by its lack of ability to climb up the tree.

"Those were Sand-Attack and Peck…" Brendan said, looking down at his PokeDex. "Hey, you learned two new moves, Sora!" He suddenly realized what was going on when Sora almost set his shoes on fire. "Right, right, sorry," he said quickly, taking out an empty Poke Ball. "You're mine now, Taillow!" he yelled. The red and white ball was thrown up into the tree, hitting the bird Pokemon square on the head. It shook once. Twice. Three times, and…

The wild Pokemon burst out of the ball, ruffling its feathers. It chirped loudly, then flew back up into the tree.

"Dang it, it broke out!" Brendan shouted in frustration. "Sora, go for another Ember!"

As the chick Pokemon's beak was lighting up with fire, the Taillow glowed with a white light and swooped down with a Quick Attack, but ultimately crashed into the ground. It tried to get back up, but its paralysis was making it difficult. Sora hit it with another flame, making it stay on the ground for good.

Brendan took out another Poke Ball. "Maybe this time…" He threw it at the Taillow, hitting its wing. The ball absorbed it in a red light and caused it to go inside. It shook once. Twice. Three times. Click. "We caught it!" He shouted, picking the ball up off the ground. Sora chirped in satisfaction, watching Brendan release it from its Poke Ball. The Taillow ruffled its feathers again, its head held high in pride. "It's a boy," he said, looking down at his PokeDex. "I'm going to name you Patriot." Patriot flew on to his shoulder as Brendan reached down and picked Sora up. "I can't wait to tell Ma—" he suddenly stopped. "Eh, she'll find out eventually. Let's get back to training."

A few hours later, Brendan and his Pokemon were much better prepared for their upcoming battle. They had constantly trained against wild Pokemon on Route 116 and had gained multiple levels. "Good work, Truffle. We did a lot today!" He then returned it to its Poke Ball. He looked up at the sky. The sun had almost completely disappeared from the sky, dusk settling in. He walked back to the Pokemon Center, took a shower, and sat down at the booth he and May had ate breakfast at that morning. He frowned. The booth seemed so…empty. He had known May for less than a week. Were things really that lonely without her? He looked down at his three Pokemon, which were eating out of bowls on the floor. Sora looked up at him and chirped in concern. "She's probably fine," Brendan replied, shaking his head. "…Probably."

After finishing dinner, he returned his companions back to their Poke Balls, grabbed his backpack out of his room, and headed outside. The air was crisp and cool, something expected of Hoenn on a colder night. The sky was almost completely black and clear, minus the tiny sparkling stars scattered across it. Sora popped out of its Poke Ball as Brendan walked down the empty street, hopping on to his shoulder to look out for danger.

"We're fine," Brendan assured, but let the Pokemon stay out anyway. He started moving towards the southern entrance of the city, where they had first entered. A few minutes later they had reached the gates where May had been that morning. Surely enough she was still there, but sleeping inside a tent. He climbed over the fence and peeked inside to see May sound asleep, using her bag as a pillow and hugging an also sleeping Ventus to her chest. Judging by her mild shivering, going without a blanket wasn't a choice.

Brendan sighed quietly. "You're crazy, May." Letting Sora jump off his shoulder first, he took his backpack off and placed it on the ground silently, taking out a red blanket and placing it over her, leaving only her head exposed to the cool air. He sighed again, sitting back at the edge of the tent. "Sorry for not thinking first before I jumped in to defend you this morning. I should've considered what you wanted first…" He looked down at Sora, who was staring at him intently. "What?" he asked, then shook his head. "She's just a girl, Sora. And I'm travelling with her. Obviously I don't want her freezing to death…" Sora didn't budge. "Whatever. I'm going back to the Pokemon Center. You can either come with me or keep on staring." Sora chirped quietly, then hopped back on to his shoulder. "That's what I thought," Brendan whispered. He picked up his backpack, then turned and looked at May once again. "Night, May," he said quietly, then left once again.

…

May was woken up by a Pound to the shoulder. "Okay, okay Ventus, I'm up!" she shouted, sitting upright and rubbing the joint. She looked down at the red blanket covering her. "This is Brendan's," she said, looking at Ventus. She pulled her PokeNav Plus out of her bag and looked at the screen. "It's ten o'clock in the morning," she said, rubbing her eye. She suddenly gasped. "Brendan has his Gym battle today! We need to go cheer him on and…and I need to say sorry?" She began folding the blanket up, deep in thought. Had she really gotten mad at him for trying to help her? It didn't change the fact that she didn't want help, but it didn't mean she had to blow up at him over it. And even after that, he had still come during some point in the night to make sure she was okay…

Once she had put the blanket, the tent, and everything else away, she put her bag around her waist as Ventus hopped on to her shoulder. "Let's find a way back into the city without being seen, Ventus. Again." Getting a good grip on the fence, she launched herself over it. From the edge of the city she could already tell that the Gym was open by the number of citizens lined up outside to see the match. "We're gonna have to sneak in through the back…" Staying along the edges of the city and away from the streets, she snuck around to the back of the Gym without getting caught. The back was almost completely closed, off, the only way in being a small window that led to the bathrooms. Ventus jumped off her shoulder and on to the window sill, rapping on the window with its tail.

"Is there anyone there, Ventus?" May asked from the ground. Before it could acknowledge her, the window opened to reveal Gym Guy Clyde.

"May?" he asked, looking down at her. "What are you doing here? How did you get back into the city?"

"I'm here to see Brendan's match and…say some other stuff. And I snuck back in. Again," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"Hiding in the bathroom from the spectators," he replied. "The Gym hasn't even opened yet and they're already here to see Brendan and Roxanne battle! And I don't really feel like being run over by a mob of people, so it's best to just wait."

May shook her head. "It looks like there's just as many people today as there were yesterday. I'm really hoping that Brendan knows what he's doing. God knows Gabby and Ty will be all over that if he messes up even once…"

"Well they were the first ones to get here," Clyde said. "Either way, c'mon. Stack those crates over there and I'll help you get in." May did as she was told, grabbing a few boxes and climbing through the small window with Clyde's assistance. "Now make sure you blend in with the crowd so you don't get caught again," he reminded her. "I'd sit in one of the middle rows of bleachers near the wall on Brendan's end and on the side I'll be on when I referee. There'll be less people to see you and you aren't out in the open. Got it?"

She nodded. "Sounds good."

"Great," he said. "Now go hide in the girls' bathroom for a while. If you're the first one in the stands people will definitely see you. And obviously you can't be…here," he finished, gesturing to one of the urinals.

"Oh yeah. Thanks, Clyde."

"Anytime."

…

Brendan was in the fossil exhibit in the Gym, an area that they hadn't gotten the chance to see yesterday. There were fossils of extinct Pokemon in glass cases, and a large Aerodactyl skeleton hanging on display. He tapped his fingers on a table covered with informational pamphlets next to him. Who knew that sitting around and waiting could be so stressful? "There's so much riding on this battle," he said to himself. "My Gym Badge, what Gabby and Ty will say if I lose, that stupid thing I said about defending May yesterday…"

"Having fun analyzing everything that could happen after this battle?" a voice said from the entrance of the room. He turned around to see Roxanne approaching him. "I thought about that a lot when I first became a Gym Leader. After a while I got a little more confidence in my Pokemon and I and the feeling just kinda…went away."

He sighed. "I'm more worried about what will happen to May after this battle," he replied. "Why did I jump in to the middle of things? Now if I lose, it's like she loses too because I was supposed to redeem her! If I lose she's going to be more pissed at me than before…"

Roxanne put a hand on his shoulder. "Win or lose, it's all going to turn out okay in the end. No one can hold a grudge against someone for doing what they thought was right. Besides, you guys made it all the way here from Littleroot in one piece, so you can't possibly be a terrible battler."

Brendan smiled a little. "It's kinda weird to hear a pep talk from the person I'm about to battle."

"What can I say? I like to help people," she replied, then grinned, her eyes glowing with excitement. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

He grinned back at her. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

…

When the crowd had filled the stadium, May had sat exactly where Clyde had instructed to earlier. A banner on the wall cast a shadow on that particular spot, making it harder for people to see her. She watched as Brendan and Roxanne walked in and went to opposite sides of the battlefield, Clyde standing in the referee box to the side. She kept a close eye on Brendan. He had walked in very confidently, but upon further inspection she could just barely see his hands shaking as he reached for his Poke Balls on his belt. "Hopefully he keeps it together better than I did yesterday," she whispered to Ventus, who was sitting in her lap.

"This'll be a two on two match," Clyde said, silencing the entire crowd once again. Only the challenger will be permitted to switch Pokemon. As always, there will be no interruptions to this battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"

"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne yelled, throwing the red and white ball into the air. The familiar Rock-type Pokemon jumped out, landing on the stone covered battlefield in front of them.

"Just what I thought she'd start out with," Brendan said to himself, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Truffle, I believe in you!" The green and brown mushroom Pokemon jumped out, landing on the battlefield. It squeaked in fear as it saw the dozens of pairs of eyes staring at it, including its opponent's. "You're going to do just fine, Truffle," the Trainer reminded it. "Just like we did in training. Start off with a Stun Spore!"

"Dodge it using Defense Curl!" Roxanne yelled.

The Shroomish locked its eyes on its target, albeit shakily, sending a flurry of yellow dust at its opponent. Geodude curled into a ball as fast as it could, rolling away and hardening its body in the process.

"Don't stop moving, Geodude!"

"Go for more Stun Spores until you hit it, Truffle!"

As the Geodude rolled across the battlefield, dodging rocks and boulders along the way, Truffle continued to cover the area in a powdery dust, but never managed to hit its target. The Shroomish began to panic, suddenly realizing how many people were watching it fail.

"Don't let the crowd get to you, Truffle," Brendan said calmly. "Just make sure you concentrate."

"Now to switch to the offensive!" Roxanne shouted. "Geodude, go for a Tackle!"

"Meet it head on with your own Tackle, Truffle!" Brendan yelled.

The two Pokemon charged at each other, the Geodude more aggressively. They slammed into each other in the center of the battlefield, the impact sending Truffle flying into a rock a few feet behind it.

The crowd roared. May growled from the stands, clenching her fists. "C'mon Brendan, you can do this," she whispered.

"We've got it cornered, Geodude!" Roxanne shouted. "Use Rock Tomb!"

May instantly shut her eyes tight, hugging Ventus to her chest, who struggled to escape her death grip. She relaxed her arms a few seconds later. "Sorry."

The Geodude raised its arms above its head, materializing three large boulders out of nowhere. It hurled them at the Shroomish, trapping it underneath them before it could get away.

"Use Tackle to get the rocks off of you!" Brendan yelled.

Truffle squeaked in pain, then managed to break its way through the large pile of rocks and back out into the open. Without realizing that all of the rocks were already gone, it rushed at the Geodude with a Tackle, but barely did any damage.

Roxanne grinned. "Looks like that Defense Curl paid off. Geodude, use Tackle again!"

"Dodge and use Stun Spore!"

The Rock-type Pokemon curled up into a ball again, spinning its way toward the Shroomish. Truffle sprang into the air while coating the ground in powder, allowing the Geodude to miss the attack and slam into a rock.

"Perfect!" Brendan yelled. "Now hurry and go for an Absorb before it recovers!"

Truffle landed on a rock, then let out an earth-shattering battle cry as a green, glowing energy surrounded it. It attempted to get closer to the Geodude, but it had already gotten up and rolled away.

"You've gotta be faster than that!" Roxanne shouted. "Geodude, go for another Rock…huh?"

All eyes turned to Geodude, who was attempting to uncurl itself from a ball, but couldn't move. It was paralyzed.

"But Truffle missed all of those Stun Spores," May whispered from the stands. "How did it…?" She gasped. "The powder was still on the floor! All of that rolling must've gotten it on Geodude!"

Brendan grinned. "The odds are in our favor now! Truffle, Absorb!"

The same green energy surrounded the Pokemon again, eventually surrounding Geodude as well as soon as Truffle came in close contact. The Rock-type yelled in pain as its energy was drained, allowing Truffle to reach almost full health again.

"That was over half of its health!" May said quietly. "And now that Geodude's slowed down…"

"Absorb!" Brendan shouted. "One last time!"

The Shroomish became enveloped in that green energy again, allowing it to absorb the Geodude's remaining energy. The Rock-type fell to the ground, unable to battle.

"The Gym Leader's Geodude is unable to battle," Clyde announced. "Truffle is the winner!" He pointed a green flag at Brendan as the crowd murmured in confusion.

"Brendan actually has a chance," May whispered.

"Geodude, you did well," Roxanne said, returning the Pokemon to its Poke Ball. "Now rest." He looked up at Brendan, a smile on her face. "Not bad. But I'm just getting started. Nosepass, let's roll!"

As soon as she threw the Poke Ball, a bluish Pokemon shaped like an Easter Island head jumped out, its red nose being its most prominent feature. It towered over Truffle, staring the smaller Pokemon down.

"Don't be scared, Truffle," Brendan encouraged.

"We'll take the first move, if you don't mind," Roxanne said. "Nosepass, use Rock Tomb to cover up the battlefield!"

The nose-like Pokemon grunted, raising its small appendages high over its head to materialize the boulders. It threw at least three dozen of them, covering the field so much that you could've even see the floor. The two Pokemon stood on top of the new rocks, facing each other at opposite ends of the court.

"Truffle, go for a Tackle and get closer!"

"Harden, Nosepass!"

The Shroomish launched itself from rock to rock until it reached its opponent, then tackled it as hard as possible. The Harden reflected the attack, causing Truffle to fall back on to the rocks behind it.

"Attack it while it's down, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted. "Rock Tomb!"

"Get out of the way, Truffle!"

Milliseconds before the boulders could come crashing down on it, the Shroomish leapt out of the way, landing on another rock a few feet to the left. "Good," Brendan said. "Now get closer again and use Absorb!"

The Grass-type complied, letting out a battle cry as it ran over the rocks and towards the Nosepass. It jumped on top of the Pokemon, then, the familiar green glow surrounding the both of them, sucked the energy out of it. When it was finished Shroomish jumped back, distancing itself from its opponent.

"It hardly did anything!" Brendan exclaimed.

"Well, obviously it's going to do less," Roxanne explained from the other side of the field. "Nosepass is a pure Rock-type as opposed to Geodude, who's a Rock and Ground-type, so it'll only do double the damage instead of quadruple. Not only that, But Nosepass's Special Defense is three times higher."

He growled in frustration from the other side. Truffle had a hard enough time beating Geodude. How were they going to compete with _that_?

"But, enough of me teaching," Roxanne said with a shrug. Her expression suddenly became determined. "More battling. Nosepass, Rock Tomb again!"

The Nosepass raised its tiny compass-like arms in the air again over its head, forming great boulders again, then chucking them at the Shroomish. They hit dead on, burying the Pokemon underneath the rubble.

"You have to get out of there, Truffle!" Brendan shouted. He watched as his tiny Pokemon climbed out of the rock pile slowly, shaking from its injuries. It must've taken away at least half of its health. "We can keep on fighting! Go for an Absorb!"

"Use Tackle to get it away from you!"

The two Pokemon rushed towards each other, meeting head on with a crash. The Nosepass flicked its head forward, sending the Shroomish flying into a pile of rocks again. It struggled to its feet with even less energy than before, but was still going.

"We both know we can keep going!" he exclaimed. "Go for another Absorb!"

Truffle began speeding towards the Nosepass again, successfully being able to trap it between two rocks when it backed up. It jumped on to its head again, absorbing energy out of it. The attack was successful, but not enough. Truffle jumped off it and on to another rock, panting. It didn't even get half its health back.

"Looks like your Shroomish is running out of steam," Roxanne said. "We'll make this quick. Use Rock Tomb!"

"Truffle!"

Before Brendan could even begin to think of a command, the boulders came down on the Shroomish even harder than before. They kept on falling until the Pokemon wasn't even visible, and then some more. Once the attack was finished, the four figures on the battlefield waited for the dust to settle until anyone said anything.

"Truffle, you have to get up," Brendan said quietly, breaking the silence. Due to their position, a few rocks from the pile fell, revealing the unconscious Shroomish underneath.

"Shroomish is unable to battle, Nosepass wins!" Clyde shouted from his referee spot.

"Return, Truffle," Brendan said, taking out his Poke Ball. The tiny mushroom Pokemon was absorbed by the red light, going back into the device. "You did a great job out there."

May hugged Ventus closer to her chest. "It's one to one now…"

"Your Shroomish did very well," Roxanne complimented from the other side of the field. "But getting rid of Nosepass won't exactly be a walk in the park. Hopefully your other Pokemon will be able to handle it."

"You can bet on that," he replied, taking out another Poke Ball. He pressed the button in the middle of it, inflating it to the size of a softball, then threw it. "Sora, I believe in you!" The fiery chick popped out of its Poke Ball, landing on one of the many rocks on the battlefield.

"A Fire-type?" Roxanne questioned.

"I know it's not ideal," the other Trainer said. "But I know Sora can pull through for me. Now, start off with a Peck!"

"Rock Tomb, Nosepass!"

The Torchic began running towards the Rock-type, hopping from one rock to another. It dodged a flurry of rocks that were chucked at it, managing to land a solid Peck. It did almost nothing.

"Even with higher levels, Sora's physical attacks aren't going to do much…" Brendan said to himself. "Whatever. Sora, use Ember!"

Sora jumped back on to one of the many boulders, taking in a deep breath of air. A hot, searing fireball shot out of its mouth, hitting the Nosepass square in the face. It shook its head, letting it slide as if it were nothing.

Roxanne grinned. "That's not going to do much, either. Nosepass, Tackle!"

The Pokemon nodded, using its tiny block-like legs to launch itself at the Torchic. It rammed it into another pile of rocks, actually breaking them and causing it to go through.

"Get back up, Sora!" Brendan shouted. The Pokemon got on its feet, beak aflame in anger. "If it can't hit you, it can't hurt you! Go for Sand-Attack!"

"Trying to lower our accuracy, huh?" she asked. "All right, we'll just have to slow you down! Nosepass, Rock Tomb!"

As soon as it heard the command, Sora began kicking and swinging its feathers at the dust around it, creating a giant cloud. It then flapped its tiny wings to send it in the Nosepass' direction, hitting it straight in the eyes. The other Pokemon suddenly lost its concentration, causing the boulders it had formed to fall down behind it.

"Good job!" Brendan shouted.

"Keep going for Rock Tombs!"

Every time its opponent tried to trap it under a pile of rocks, Sora dodged the attack, then sent another cloud of sand into the eyes of the Gym Leader's Pokemon. Eventually the Nosepass got lucky, landing a solid Rock Tomb, trapping the Torchic underneath the rubble. It eventually got out of the pile, shaking from the pain.

"I have faith in you, Sora," the Trainer said, watching over his Pokemon. "Now go for an Ember!"

Sora rose to its feet, it's beak a flame as a fireball erupted from its chest and hit the Nosepass with full force, knocking it over.

"Back on your feet, Nosepass," Roxanne shouted. The Pokemon lifted itself back up, facing its opponent. "Go for another Rock Tomb!"

"Get out of the way!"

The Nosepass created another onslaught of boulders and sent them hurdling at the Torchic. Sora began running out of the way, but because of its lowered speed, it was crushed beneath the rocks again. It climbed out from under the rubble, shaking from pain, its lungs working hard to get air in and out of its system.

"You know you can keep going, Sora," Brendan whispered from his side of the battlefield. "Go for Ember!"

"Dodge!"

The Torchic took in a deep breath, letting the fire inside of it blast out of its beak and hit the Nosepass again before it could move. The flame engulfed the Rock Pokemon, leaving certain areas of it black from burning.

"Good job!" Brendan shouted.

"You might've hit us a few times, but we're not even at half health yet," Roxanne said from the other end of the court. "Nosepass, go for a Tackle!"

The Rock-type nodded, then began charging at the fiery chick as it attempted to catch its breath. Before it could get out of the way the Nosepass hit it with full force, sending it flying in to a nearby pile of rock. The Torchic stood back up, barely scathed.

"If it didn't do that much damage, it has to be burned," May whispered.

Roxanne grinned from the other side of the court. "I see what you did there. By burning Nosepass, you lowered its attack so it won't do as much damage."

"Uh, sure," Brendan said, rubbing the back of his head. "That's what my plan was. Either way, Sora, use Sand-Attack!"

The Pokemon jumped in the air, landing near the Nosepass. It swatted at the dirt underneath its talons using its tiny wings, blinding the other Pokemon.

"Go for a Tackle while it's close!" Roxanne yelled.

The Nosepass, barely able to see, launched itself at its opponent. It smashed in to the Torchic at full force, knocking it into the many rocks around them. Brendan's Pokemon rushed to its feet and sent another blast of fire in its direction, already knowing what Brendan wanted it to do.

"Perfect!" Brendan exclaimed.

Roxanne winced as Nosepass groaned in pain, the burn taking residual damage. "We can still keep going. Go for Rock Tombs over and over and over!"

It nodded, raising its stubby arms above it once more and sent more boulders hurdling at the Torchic. Many of them missed its target completely due to the Sand-Attack, but the last barrage hit it right in the face, almost knocking the Pokemon unconscious.

"Torchic!" Brendan shouted. "Get up!"

The crowd and Trainers were silent, watching the rock pile. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. The pile didn't move. May stared at the rocks, feeling her heart sink in to her stomach. It was over. Clyde was about to raise one of his flags—

But stopped when the smallest of movements came from under the boulders.

Brendan stared in awe as the tiny Pokemon crawled out from the rock pile, a blue light was beginning to surround it, and the last of its expression showing wonder before it was completely encompassed. The crowd stared as the Torchic suddenly became taller within the blink of an eye, its tiny wings becoming full-fledged arms and its legs becoming longer and stronger. Its eyes became orange and fiercer than fire, along with the little tuft of feathers on the top of its head. The blue light went away with a burst of energy, leaving a completely different Pokemon in its wake, more energized than ever.

"Combusken!" Brendan exclaimed, a grin forming on his face. "You evolved! That's amazing!"

"Well," Roxanne said with a smile. "You've clearly done a good job training it. This'll definitely make the battle more interesting."

May covered her mouth from her seat, preventing any outbursts. "He actually has a chance…" she whispered.

"We're not done yet though," Roxanne said. She pointed to the battlefield. "Nosepass, go for Rock Throw!"

The Nosepass hurled its attacks at the newly evolved Pokemon, but the attacks were powerfully kicked back, causing them to hit the Rock-type instead.

"That Double Kick!" Brendan exclaimed. "All right, go for it again!"

Sora leaped in to the air, now able to jump much higher due to its stronger legs. It came crashing down on the Nosepass twice, lowering its health much more than ever before.

"Harden!"

"Don't even give it the chance! Double Kick!"

The two Pokemon prepared their attacks at the same time. Brendan knew it could be the last turn of the battle. This could be the moment.

At what seemed like the exact same time, Sora struck the Nosepass as it stiffened its body from the Harden. Nosepass was pushed back a few yards as the Fire-type was sent flying back, landing on its feet. The two Pokemon stared at each other, gasping for air. The entire crowd watched in silence, holding its breath collectively.

But Sora knew the truth.

It had struck first.

Nosepass fell backwards on to the ground, a groan escaping it before going unconscious.

"Nosepass has fainted, Sora is the winner," Clyde announced. He raised a flag in Brendan's direction. "And that means that the match goes to Brendan!"

"We won, Sora!" he exclaimed, picking up the now-heavier Pokemon. "You did great out there!"

Roxanne sighed, pulling out a Poke Ball. "You did wonderfully, Nosepass. Now get a good rest." Knowing that the crowd was going to begin an outrage, she raised her hand in the air, silencing them before they could even start. "Now I know this battle didn't turn out how many of you wanted it to," she said calmly. "But the challenger won fair and square. So…" She walked over to Brendan, something in her closed palm. "I present you, Brendan Birch, with the Stone Badge." She opened her hand, allowing him to take it: a shining badge in bronze and gold, shaped like two arrows pointing in different directions.

"Thanks, Roxanne," he said, marveling at the tiny object in his hand.

"You earned it," she replied as he placed it in his Badge case.

"And Brendan Birch wins his Badge from the Rustboro City Gym," Gabby said in to her microphone, looking in to the camera. "Now that he's avenged May, that presents us with another question: Where exactly is Norman's daughter?"

"Hey, over here!" a man shouted from a few feet away. "She's been hiding in plain sight this entire time!" All eyes and cameras turned to the man and who he was pointing to: May.

"May?!" Brendan exclaimed.

"Goddammit," she muttered, Ventus climbing on to her shoulder. She quickly jumped out of her seat, dodging and weaving through the people as all eyes were on her, but was stopped when someone grabbed her arm. An officer.

"I am getting sick and tired of having to throw you out of here every single day," he said, pulling her out of the bleachers and on to the battlefield as he led her towards the door. "I'm calling the Petalburg City Gym Leader. He can come here and bring you home _personally_."

"Let go of me!" she shouted, trying to rip herself from his grip, but couldn't budge.

Brendan began running towards the officer, but stopped along with everything else in the Gym when Roxanne shouted.

"Enough!" she exclaimed. "I'm putting an end to this right now. As soon as Geodude and Nosepass are completely healed, May is going to have a rematch against me. If she wins, she can leave Rustboro quietly with her badge. If she loses…I'll let the law do its job." She looked at the Trainer. "Do you agree, May?"

She nodded. "I agree." The officer released his grip on her.

"All right," Roxanne said. "We'll have the battle later tonight. Be ready."

**Chapter 9's done! Yay! Lots of action in this one. I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, so I hope this was okay. And Brendan gets his first badge and Combusken evolves! So for QOTW: In what ways do you think I can improve my fighting scenes? Any tips or suggestions? I would love to hear them. Make sure to review! Smell ya later!**


	10. It's All On The Line

Chapter Ten: It's All on the Line

**What's going on my lovely muffins, IcyAngels here! It's a new chapter of Hoenn and it didn't take me ten million years to update! Yaay! Anyway, let's look at the reviews!**

**The Phantom Starfish: Glad you like the story! One of my writing mottos has always been "Write the book you want to read". And while there are a lot of great adaptations of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire on this site, they never quite went the way I wanted them to, so I decided to write my own. Thanks for reviewing!**

**UpbeatButNegative: Oh yeah. May is stubborn all right lol. And even though I haven't really used it, I've always like Swellow. I think it's got a great design and with that incredible speed, it's got to be worth using. And I agree. Gym Leaders should be able to put up a fight, regardless of what badge number they give. And thank you for the fight scene advice! Thanks for the review, as always :)**

**Martyn:** **Thanks for the review!**

**Matthew Garner: When it comes to Trainers knowing how much energy their Pokemon have left, I think it's just an estimate based off of how the Pokemon is acting. And I hope so as well! Thanks :)**

**Crepo the Porcupine: Thanks for the suggestion!**

**Aquaprincess3: Really? Glad you liked it!**

**Daniel: Take your white vans somewhere else, please.**

**Skyla Pearl: KEY CLUB HAS THE DANKEST OF MEEEMES. And hooray for Brendan development! And there's going to be a little bit more development of May's relationship with her Pokemon in this chapter, just you wait. And glad you think that I write battle scenes well! I focus on emotions a little bit more in this chapter too, so I think you'll like that. Thanks for the review as always!**

**And now with that out of the way, let's get into the actual chapter. Thanks guys!**

May sat on the edge of her bed in her room in the Pokemon Center, staring out the window as the sun set over the horizon. Two more hours. Two more hours until Roxanne's Pokemon would be completely healed and ready to battle her once again. Two more hours until her fate would be decided. If she won, she'd finally be able to leave this stupid town and continue on her journey as planned. If she lost, there were no more chances. Which would make getting all eight badges impossible, and, in turn, proving herself to her father by winning the League.

"Hey."

She turned around to see Brendan walk into their room, closing the door behind him. "Hey," she replied quietly. He sat down next to her, both of them looking outside in silence.

"You did really well in that battle," she said after a few minutes.

"Thanks."

She looked at him, then sighed. "Look, Brendan, I'm…I'm sorry. For blowing up at you. You were just trying to help me and I got so caught up in doing things by myself that I completely ignored everything that you were trying to do for me." She then reached into her bag on the ground next to her, pulling out the red blanket from the night before. "You can have this back. Even if red works better on me than it does on you."

Brendan took it from her hands, stared at it for a few seconds, then laughed. "You're such a girl, May!"

"What do you mean?!" she exclaimed, her face becoming the color of her shirt. "I'm trying to say sorry for being a complete jerk, and you just—"

He laughed again, flicking her bow with his index finger and thumb. "I'm kidding. And I'm sorry for not listening to you." He tossed the blanket back at her, causing it to land in her lap. "And you can keep that as a gift from me to you. You don't have one, after all."

"Thanks," she replied, putting it back in her bag as her face returned to its normal color. She sighed, placing her head in her hands. Even with things smoothed out between them, it still didn't lessen how much her stomach flipped every time she thought of that upcoming battle…

"Nervous?" he asked.

She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, then shook her head. "Of course not."

"So you're just tapping your foot and grinding your teeth for absolutely no reason, right?"

Dammit. He read her way to well. "Can you blame me, though? I've only got one more chance to do this, Brendan. If I don't, then—"

"No Stone Badge for you, I know," he finished. "I'm sure you'll do fine, May. Just ignore all of the people around you, focus on the battle, and bam! First Badge."

"Damn. I almost forgot about the people before you mentioned it," she mumbled. Knowing how quickly word spread through Rustboro, there were probably going to be at her match than there were at Brendan's. And knowing Gabby and Ty, they were probably going to find a way to broadcast it all over Hoenn. Meaning her father and everyone else back at home would see it. Great.

"Either way, I know you'll do well," he said, interrupting her thoughts once more. "I'll be rooting for you in the stands. Plus it'd kinda suck if my rival dropped out of the race not even one badge in."

May rolled her eyes, playfully shoving his shoulder. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying," he said with a shrug. "It'd be pretty boring without any competition."

"Tiana can be your rival," she snarled, lifting her bag off the ground. Tiana. Just the mere mention of the name sparked a burning fire in her heart. She gripped the bag harder than normal.

Brendan snorted, standing up and stretching. "I don't think that'd be worth it."

"Trust me, it's not," she snapped. "I think I'd rather work in the lab with Harold."

He smirked, slinging his backpack over her shoulder as she stood up. "Agreed. Do you want to go get a bite to eat downstairs before your Gym Battle?"

She nodded, then followed him out of the room.

…

"It's gonna be two against one," May remarked, staring down at her pizza.

Brendan looked up, his mouth full of syrup-soaked pancake. Pancakes for dinner. Of course. "What do you mean?"

"The Rustboro City Gym does two on two matches," she replied. Ventus chomped on a Pecha Berry next to her. "Pink's out of commission. I'm gonna have to do it with Ventus alone."

He swallowed, then grabbed the syrup container and pour a little bit more on. "You could borrow Patriot if you want."

She raised any eyebrow. "Patriot?"

"Yeah," he replied, cutting his pancake up more. "I forgot to tell you. I caught a Taillow yesterday on Route 116. I haven't used it yet, though."

"And you didn't tell me?!" she exclaimed.

He shrugged, putting another piece of food in his mouth. "You were mad at me."

She sighed in defeat, taking another berry out of her bag and giving it to her Treecko. "Thanks, but I'd rather not. I need to do this—"

"Yourself, I know," he finished, rolling his eyes. "Okay…so why don't you just ask Roxanne if you can have a one-on-one so it's fair?"

May scoffed. "Gabby and Ty will find a way to twist that. They'll say I'm not strong enough or too scared, so I requested an "easier" match. I have to do this with just Ventus."

Brendan sighed, leaning back into his seat in the booth. "I can't wait to be out of this stupid city."

"You're telling me."

…

May stood at her end of the battlefield, nervously rubbing Ventus' Poke Ball with her thumb. People were beginning to file into the stands, each one giving her a dirty look as they walked in. Within about ten minutes there were at least sixty people, Gabby and Ty right in the front row at May's end, and two police officers right behind them. Probably there to throw May out as soon as she lost. Brendan flashed her a smile and a thumbs up from where he was, about a foot away from the two reporters. She returned the gesture with a shaky hand.

"Are you ready?" a voice behind her asked quietly. May turned around to see the Gym Leader standing there, an encouraging look on her face.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. There were more people coming in. So many witnesses…

Roxanne took in a deep breath, then exhaled. "I'm not going to go easy on you. Not only does it go against everything I think as a Gym Leader, but people would be able to tell. Then we'd both be in trouble."

"I know."

"Even if I'm going to be trying my hardest to beat you, I hope that you do well, May," she said. She gave the other Trainer a squeeze of encouragement on the arm. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

Roxanne nodded, then walked to the other end of the battlefield, standing in her spot. The stands were filled to the brim with people, so much so that some had to stand next to them or sit on the ground. It was as if the entirety of Rustboro had shown up, plus some from the nearby towns…

May watched as Clyde walked over to his usual referee spot, the crowd getting quieter and quieter, her heart pounding against her ribcage. With every step he took, her stomach seemed to flip a little, causing a nauseous feeling to form in her throat. She gripped the Poke Ball even tighter, her hand trembling from the force. Keep it together.

"This'll be a two on two ma—"

"Two on one," May said quietly, but it was loud enough to get Clyde's attention. "I only have Ventus." Roxanne raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Clyde nodded in confusion but went along with it anyway. "This'll be a two on one match. Only the challenger will be permitted to switch Pokemon, even if she only has one…as always, there will be no interruptions to the battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"

"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne shouted, tossing a Poke Ball up in the air. The familiar Rock-type sprung out of the ball, landing on the ground with a solid thump. It rolled itself forward on the battlefield, its eyes narrowed in determination. Was it just May, or did it seem more pumped up than earlier that day?

She swallowed, took a deep breath, and threw the Poke Ball as hard as she could on the battlefield. "Pride's on the line, Ventus!" The Treecko appeared on the ground, landing on its feet with its arms crossed. It stared at the Geodude with an equally determined expression. "I'm counting on you," May whispered.

"You can take the first move," Roxanne said confidently from the other end of the field.

"All right. Quick Attack, Ventus! And if it tries to roll away to dodge, don't stop until you hit it!" May shouted.

"Rolling, huh?" the Gym Leader asked. "All right then, jump from rock to rock and use Harden while doing it!"

Ventus was mere millimeters from striking the Geodude when it suddenly bounced off the ground, landing on a boulder a few feet away. The two continued to perform their attacks, the Treecko never getting the chance to strike and the Geodude progressively sharpening its defense.

"If you think we're going to use the same tactics we did this morning against Brendan, you're wrong," Roxanne said, crossing her arms. "The thing you have to know about us Gym Leaders, May, is that we all have more than one strategy. It keeps challengers on their toes."

"Well if you want to use jumping on rocks as your thing this battle, two can play at that game!" she shouted. "Jump over it to land an Absorb!"

"Keep doing what you're doing, Geodude!"

Ventus landed on a rock and glared at its opponent, then sprung further into the air than the Rock-type would ever be able to reach, its tail glowing bright with green light. It was about to come crashing down on the Geodude when—

"Tackle it from below!" Roxanne shouted.

The Pokemon suddenly shot up from the rock it had been sitting on, ramming its entire body into the Treecko's stomach. The Grass-type was sent flying high into the air, then roughly landed on its feet, wrapping its tail around the injured area and wincing in pain.

"You can keep on fighting, Ventus," May encouraged. "Now go for Absorb!"

"Rock Tomb!"

May's heart felt as if it was going to leap out of her chest. She froze as the Geodude began forming rocks above its head, ready to crush its opponent. It was Rusturf Tunnel all over again…the vision of Pink being squashed underneath a pile of boulders flashed in her mind. If it happened to Ventus…she suddenly felt the urge to intercept the battle again, jump right in and intervene, when a voice stopped her.

"Don't make the same mistake twice, May!" Brendan yelled from the stands. The entire population in the building, including May, turned to look at him. "Do you really want to let Ventus down again? Remember what we talked about earlier!"

She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, getting a grip on reality. "He's right. Dodge, Ventus!"

With that command, the Treecko quickly jumped out of the way, unscathed. It looked back at its Trainer and nodded in reassurance.

Roxanne smiled. "Glad we didn't have a repeat of yesterday. Being able to learn from past mistakes is always important, whether you're a student or a Trainer. Either way, go for another Rock Tomb, Geodude!"

"Jump to dodge, Ventus!"

Mere moments before the rocks could come crashing down on it, the Treecko leaped into the air and over the attack, leaving it hanging in the air for a few seconds.

"Now use Absorb!"

"Use Rock Tomb to block it!"

Ventus' tail began to glow as Geodude prepared another series of boulders, then dropped the heap around itself. The Treecko crashed into them with its tail, which smashed them into a million pieces.

"Mega Drain while you're close, Ventus!" May yelled.

Before the Geodude could even get the chance to think about rolling away, the Treecko's tail lit up again, smashing into the Geodude's face. It sprung away, having regained most of the energy it had lost from the Tackle.

Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field. "Not bad, May. Using our defenses to get in closer…smart move."

May nodded, her heart still beating against her rib cage. "I like to use what I'm given. Ventus, use Quick Attack to get in closer again!"

"Jump out of the way!"

Ventus sped across the battlefield, dodging and weaving through the various piles of rocks until it reached the other Pokemon. They both rocketed into the air at the same time, Ventus landing minuscule damage.

"Use Rock Tomb to smash it to the ground!" Roxanne yelled.

Within the blink of an eye, the Geodude had formed three huge boulders in front of it, grabbing and smashing them onto the Treecko, knocking it to the ground and trapping it underneath the rubble.

"Ventus!" May screamed, covering her mouth. She watched as it slowly climbed out of the rock pile, its breathing very labored. It looked back at her and gave a nod of encouragement. It was fine. She took a deep breath, then let it out, allowing her to regain her composure. "Go for Mega Drain!"

"Dodge!"

Ventus rushed at its opponent, slamming its tail on its head before it could get out of the way. The Geodude was low on health now, barely able to stay upright, but still fighting.

"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne yelled.

Before May could even utter another word, the rocks came crashing down on the Treecko, making it lose a chunk of the health it had just gotten back. Struggling to breathe, it climbed out of the rocks again.

"We can keep going, Ventus," May called in a desperate attempt to stay calm. Despite the earlier Mega Drain, her Treecko was starting to run low on steam. And Roxanne still had Nosepass…

"Rock Tomb again!"

"Use Pound to break through them!"

A few seconds later and the two Pokemon were doing exactly as told: Geodude chucking the rocks and Ventus smashing through them with its tail.

Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field, her hands on her hips. "I have to point out, I like the way you battle, May. Using a combination of your attacks and ours to create a defense…it's interesting."

"Thanks," May replied, wiping her palms on her shorts. People were giving both her and Roxanne dirty looks for the compliment.

"But I'm still gonna find a way through it. Geodude, Tackle with all you've got!"

"Mega Drain, Ventus!"

They made contact in the center of the battlefield at the same time. Ventus' tail pushing against the Geodude's head, they were locked in place at the same momentum. Eventually, that momentum stopped, causing the two of them to spring a few feet back. The entire population of the building sat in desolate silence, watching the two Pokemon stare at each other, breathing heavily.

A few seconds passed and Geodude landed on its back, unconscious.

Clyde raised a flag in May's direction. "Geodude is unable to battle, Ventus is the winner!"

There were multiple "boo's" from the crowd, directed toward both Trainers on the field. "And it looks like Roxanne's Geodude has been taken out by Norman's daughter and her Pokemon," Gabby said, turning to the camera. "This is a shame for all of Rustboro, as not only has Roxanne let a banned Trainer come back into the city for a rematch when the first battle shouldn't have even happened in the first place, she's also now losing to said Trainer. How embarrassing. As for May, to further make a big deal out of the situation, she's decided to only use one Pokemon throughout the entire match. If that's not a desperate cry for attention, I don't know what is!"

It was all Brendan could do to not grab the microphone and use it as an instrument of destruction against the camera.

Roxanne, completely ignoring the crowd, returned the Rock-type to its Poke Ball. "Get a good rest, Geodude. You did well." She smiled and looked across the field to the challenger. "Not gonna lie, you're doing much better than you did last time, May."

"Thanks," she replied. How could Roxanne ignore the crowd so easily? May felt as if every pair of eyes was boring into her with judgmental looks. Every single person in the room wanted to see her lose. Except for Brendan, of course, who was glaring at Gabby who had probably made some stupid remark that May couldn't hear over the crowd. She looked back at the Gym Leader. "But that's not really saying much."

Roxanne shrugged, taking out another Poke Ball. "I like to focus on the positives. Nosepass, let's roll!" She tossed the ball into the air, allowing the Eastern Island headed Pokemon to spring out.

May took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Brendan needed both Truffle and Sora to beat it when he had battled…and if Sora hadn't evolved into a Combusken, there was a good chance it would've lost…

She shook her head. Now was not the time to be having those thoughts. "Ventus, start out with Quick Attack!"

"Harden!"

The Treecko struck the Nosepass within the blink of an eye, but, as expected, the attack did little to nothing. The opposing Pokemon continued to use its move, its defense getting higher by the second.

"Go for Mega Drain!"

"Tackle before it can strike!"

By the time Ventus had concentrated enough energy into its tail to perform the attack, it had already been knocked flat on its back by the blunt force of the Rock-type crashing into it. It was trying to stand up as its opponent towered over it, but was clearly struggling. The Nosepass hit a lot harder than the Geodude.

"Rock Tomb while you're close, Nosepass!"

"Get out of the way, Ventus!"

The Nosepass raised its tiny compass-like arms above its head as the Treecko got up and scrambled out of the way, just barely missing the attack. Ventus leaped onto a pile of rubble to catch its breath once more.

"Trap it in the rubble with Rock Tomb, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted.

"Use Mega Drain to break through the rocks!" May yelled.

Before the Treecko could even react, it was crushed by the rocks above it and knocked down once more. May winced, biting the inside of her cheek. With every Rock Tomb, Ventus was getting progressively slower and slower. It was getting low on energy too. If they couldn't find a way to sap some of Nosepass' energy, then…

"Go for Tackle, Nosepass!"

"Hurry up and use Mega Drain!" May yelled.

The two Pokemon's attacks met at the exact same time, Ventus preparing its attack quicker this turn. They pushed against each other for the upper hand, but then backed off a few seconds later. Ventus seemed to have gained some sort health back, but not much. It was still having trouble keeping up…

"I know you can do it, Ventus!" she shouted. The Treecko turned around, hearing her words of encouragement. "You've always been a good battler, right? Remember when we saved Harold from that grunt back in Petalburg Woods? Or when we battled those twins on Route 4 with Brendan? Why should we lose this battle?"

Ventus then did something that it didn't do very often…it smiled.

"And May provides some words of encouragement to her Pokemon," Gabby said into the microphone. "While apparently using some examples of battles that she's won, too! This is the first time I've heard about her winning any battles, but I guess you can't lose them all, right?"

"If by 'all' you mean you and Ty's respect for people, then yes, you can," Brendan muttered under his breath.

Roxanne grinned from the other side of the field. "I think you're starting to get it, May. Encouraging your Pokemon is one of the ways to keep yours and their hopes up during battle!"

May nodded. The encouragement was made for herself just as much as it was meant for Ventus, but she could see that Roxanne was right; Ventus seemed like it had a little bit more hope and energy than before. She was just hoping that it would last for the both of them.

"All right, Nosepass," Roxanne said. "Go for another Rock Tomb!"

"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" May shouted.

The Rock-type aimed its attack at a specific location but ended up hitting nothing but air. Ventus was already ten feet away from its previous location, coming in very close range to where the Nosepass was located.

"Now go for Mega Drain!"

The Nosepass was struck with a bright green tail before it could even react. Ventus hit it with so much force that it was knocked on to its side, allowing the Treecko to steal its energy and use it as its own. The Rock-type got back up, still ready to fight.

"It's getting some of your energy, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted. "Go for Rock Tomb again and don't stop until you hit it!"

"Use Quick Attack to dodge again!" May yelled.

Ventus zipped through the battlefield, once again dodging and weaving through rocks and boulders, the Nosepass leaving a trail of Rock Tombs behind it. Eventually, the Grass-type came to a dead end, being cornered by a giant pile of rubble and three rocks floating in the air, which came down all at once and crushed it between both. The Treecko crawled out of the mess as its Trainer watched in worry. Ventus had clearly received major damage from that attack, barely able to stand up.

"We can do this, Ventus," May said from her end of the court.

"And May's Treecko has clearly taken some damage," Gabby said into the mic that Brendan oh so dearly wanted to grab and flush down the toilet in the restroom. "Can Roxanne redeem herself for letting this unruly Trainer into the Gym? Or is she just going to let May get off without punishment?"

"You people are the reason why she had to sleep outside in a tent last night!" Brendan exclaimed, but the two media workers seemed to ignore him.

"Go for Tackle while you're up close!" Roxanne commanded.

"Use Pound to deflect it!"

The two struck each other at the same time, the Nosepass landing much more damage than Ventus did. They were both clearly beginning to get low on health, now.

Roxanne smiled. "This had been a good battle, May. But unfortunately, I think it's going to be ending soon. Use Harden and then Tackle right after!"

"Mega Drain, let's go!"

The Nosepass instantly stiffened its body as Ventus' tail struck it as hard as it could. With every second the attack seemed to be sucking up less and less energy until it was hardly doing anything at all. Ventus had barely gained any energy back from the attack, and before May could say another command, it was hit with a Tackle, erasing any of the energy it had gotten from the Mega Drain.

May took in a deep breath, trying to control her fear. Ventus was getting really low on energy at this point. All doubts she had been trying to push back during the battle were starting to flood her mind. If she didn't win this battle, it was over. No eight badges. No League. No proving herself to her fa—

A groaning sound emitted from Ventus' mouth, causing May to focus on her Pokemon. Despite all of its pain and the effort it took, it managed a tiny smile. That's when it hit May:

Her Pokemon was counting on her too.

"If you need me, you've got me, Ventus," May said. She could feel confidence bubbling up within her, allowing the feelings of insecurity, worry, and fear to dissipate. For once in the entirety of the match, she didn't feel so vulnerable. "Go for Mega Drain again!"

"Block it with Rock Tomb!"

Ventus was up and ready to go the moment the words escaped May's mouth, slashing its tail through the rocks that came flying at it and smashing them to pieces. It then came down on the Nosepass as hard as possible once more, knocking it onto the ground. It got back up again. It wasn't done with the battle quite yet.

"Tackle it, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted.

"Intercept with Pound!"

The Treecko was even quicker than before this time. Before its opponent could even get moving, it slammed its tail down on its head, not leaving much damage, but every bit of health was significant when both Pokemon were that low on energy. It dodged the Tackle coming its way.

Roxanne grinned. "See, May? A little encouragement can do a lot of good. I don't think I've ever seen you and Ventus more in sync before!"

"Really?" May asked. She could feel her heart beating fiercely again, but this time, it was out of excitement rather than fear.

The Gym Leader nodded. "It's something that I've studied a lot here. The bond between Pokemon and Trainer. And usually, if they're in sync, it does wonders for the both of them in battle. But either way…Nosepass, go for another Rock Tomb!"

"Dodge and Mega Drain!"

It all happened in a blink of an eye. A pile of rocks was hurled at Ventus, but the Treecko had quickly dodged without hesitation. The next thing May knew it had slammed its tail down on the Nosepass, draining the last of its energy and knocking it out.

They had won.

Clyde raised another flag in May's direction. "Nosepass is unable to battle, Ventus is the winner! And the match goes to May!"

Feeling all happiness need to burst out of her, she squealed and across the battlefield and over to Ventus, who openly jumped into her arms. "We did it, Ventus!"

Roxanne closed her eyes and smiled, taking a Poke Ball out and recalling her fallen Pokemon. "Nosepass, return." After it had gone back into the ball, she looked back at May. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you can continue and go on with the rest of the League!"

"Thanks, Roxanne," May said with a grin.

"Now I have to give you this." She pulled a small accessory out of her pocket, placing it in May's palm. It was exactly the same as the one Brendan received, two bronze and gold arrows facing in opposite directions. "As the Gym Leader of the Rustboro City Gym, I present you with the Stone Badge."

Gabby turned back to the camera again, shaking her head. "And Roxanne not only allows a banned Trainer back into her Gym, but to beat her. Rustboro should be ashamed. As for May, she gets her first badge, but even with a Pokemon with a type advantage she still stru—"

"That's it!" Brendan exclaimed, lunging for Gabby's microphone. He missed, almost fell on his face, and was planning to try to grab it again, but Roxanne stopped him.

"I can handle it." She walked over to Gabby and looked into the camera. "My name is Roxanne. I am a Gym Leader, and this is my Gym. Which means that as long as it falls under the rules of the League, I can do whatever I please within its walls." She turned and looked at Gabby. "For example, I'm throwing you two out."

"What?!" the reporter exclaimed. "You can't do—"

"I think I can," she interrupted. She pointed at the door. "Now get out." She crossed her arms with a triumphant smile as the reporter huffed, then left the building with her cameraman. "And as for the rest of you," Roxanne said, facing the crowd. "The match is over. "Regardless of who you think should've won, you can leave." There were multiple groans of disappointment as people filed out of the building and into the now dark streets outside. Soon it was just Roxanne, May, Brendan, and Clyde once more.

"You did it, May!" Brendan said excitedly, giving her a short hug. "Now we know for sure that you're back on track…for now."

She elbowed him playfully. "Shut up…"

Roxanne grinned. "Once again, congratulations. But as much as I'd hate to do it…I've gotta kick you out now."

May raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a girl of my word," she replied. "I told that officer that I'd give you another shot at getting your badge, and if you did, you'd be able to leave quietly. But hey, at least you're getting out of this city, right?"

She smiled. "I guess you're right." The two embraced for a few seconds, then let go. "Thanks again, Roxanne."

"It was my pleasure," she said as the two Trainers began heading for the door. "And May…don't let people like Gabby or Tiana get you down. They don't know anything."

May nodded as Brendan held the door open for her, feeling the cool, night wind touch her skin. "I won't. See ya later!"

"Have a good trip! Oh, and if you need to get to Dewford, go see Mr. Briney! He'll give you a ride over first thing!"

Brendan gave her a thumbs up as the two walked outside, ready to hit the road again once more.

...

"So glad to be out of that stupid town," May said with a sigh of relief. She watched as Brendan set a blanket down on the grass. The two had found their way back to Route 4, despite the nighttime creepiness of Petalburg Woods. When they arrived at Mr. Briney's cottage there was no movement in the house, its owner presumably asleep, so the two planned to spend the night outside. It wasn't uncommon for people to do around that area, after all; Mr. Briney was a well-known sailor. But at the moment, there was no one else around, just the sound of crashing waves on the beach and the starry sky twinkling above them.

"I know," Brendan replied. He sat down on the blanket, his back leaning against the cottage, and invited her to sit next to him. Complying, she took out the one he had given her earlier and positioned it so the two of them could both use it to protect them from the cold. "If I had to sit through one more day of hearing Gabby never shut up I would've taken the microphone and…"

May gave a tiny laugh, then looked up at the sky. The constellations were especially clear that night, not a cloud in the air to block them. "There's the Ursaring Major," she said, pointing up at the sky. "And there's the Teddiursa Minor. Those are the only Johto ones I recognize, though…"

Brendan smiled. "We had a telescope once. Dad was doing research on some legendary Pokemon. But…it got ruined when Harold knocked it over trying to run away from a Zigzagoon."

She laughed again, then sighed. "My mom said that when I was only three or four, my dad would take me to the Olivine City Lighthouse every night and we would watch the stars." She frowned. "I don't really remember it, though. It must've been before he got all caught up in being a Gym Leader."

He nodded. Before he had met May, he had never truly realized how much he appreciated his father. All of those days spent out on the routes around Littleroot looking for Pokemon had never seemed that special until now. He would have to tell his father that the next time they went home. "Well, at least you're closer to him now, right? When it comes to physical distance, anyway."

May shrugged. "I guess you're right." She looked down at her PokeNav. "It's almost midnight. We should get some sleep."

He nodded again, closing his eyes. "Night, May."

"Goodnight, Brendan."

**Chapter 10's done! Yay! So now May has one badge under her belt and they're off to Dewford. For me this chapter was kinda hard for me to write because of my lack of confidence in my battle scenes, but I hope this one way all right. As for my update schedule, from this point forward I'll be updating on Tuesdays in this order: Seven Worlds, Hoenn, YouTube video. This does mean more time between updates for specific stories, but at the same time you guys will be getting content on a consistent basis! Speaking of Seven Worlds, you guys should go check it out and leave your lovely reviews :) You know how much I appreciate them. It's a Sonic and…well, everything crossover. I don't really treat it as professionally as I do Hoenn because it is based off a concept I thought of when I was twelve, and I have improved as a writer A LOT since then (hence why my first story is terrible), but Seven Worlds is all right. More specifically the more recent chapters because my writer's block FINALLY went away for that story. God. Anyways, you guys can if you want to. You already leave awesome reviews on here, so I don't want to ask for too much. Either way, QOTW: So far based off of what you've seen me write, which moments do you think I write the best? Humor, description, character interactions, etc. I know we're only ten chapters in and there hasn't been that much of a mix yet, but based off what you've seen, what do you think? Be sure to tell me in the reviews! Smell ya later :P **


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